The College Football Playoff quarterfinal kicks off with the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the tenth-ranked Miami Hurricanes at the Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes are coming off a dominant, national championship season and are looking to repeat and become the second team to become back-back champions this decade (Georgia).
This is Ohio State’s second appearance in the 12-team playoff and its seventh appearance in the college football playoff, the second most of any team.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were the last team to qualify for the playoffs, narrowly edging out Notre Dame in controversial fashion.
This is Miami’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. They also earned their first CFP victory, coming off a 10-3 first-round win on the road against Texas A&M in the first round.
Ohio State enters the game as a -9.5 favorite, with ESPN analytics giving the Buckeyes a 70.5% chance to advance to the semifinal.
The Buckeyes are led by freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, who finished the season in fourth place in Heisman Trophy voting.
He’ll be throwing to Jeremiah Smith, who finished the season with 1,086 yards, 11 touchdowns and is considered one of the top wide receivers in the country.
When is Ohio State Playing?
Date: Wednesday, December 31
TV/Streaming: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews, ACC Network
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
The Buckeyes are 3-1 in the Cotton Bowl, including a 28-14 win over Texas in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.
Ohio State and Miami have played four times before, with the series record tied at 2-2. They last played in 2011, when the Hurricanes upset the seventeenth-ranked Buckeyes 24-6.
The two teams last played in a New Year’s Six bowl game in 2003, when the Buckeyes beat the Hurricanes 31-24 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Ohio State’s Keys to Winning
Despite Ohio State being a lofty favorite, the Buckeyes won’t be able to sleepwalk against a Miami team with victories over five ranked teams.
Ohio State’s defense has been statistically one of the best in the country through the season, and it will need to be dominant again.
Ohio State has the top-ranked passing defense in the country, allowing just 133.8 yards per game.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck has thrown 10 interceptions this season, which ranks in the bottom 20 among starting FBS quarterbacks.
The Buckeye passing defense will have opportunities to turn the Hurricanes over.
Protecting Julian Sayin is key for the Buckeyes’ offense to stay on track. Miami has arguably the best defensive line in college football.
The Hurricanes have the fourth-most sacks in the FBS with 41, led by likely NFL first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr.
Sayin had only been sacked six times in 12 games before being sacked five times in the Big 10 Championship against Indiana in a 13-10 loss.
If the Buckeyes’ defense can force turnovers and Sayin stays clean in the pocket, Ohio State should be on its way to playing in the Fiesta Bowl against the winner of Georgia vs. Ole Miss.
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