Ohio State’s Caleb Downs Makes It Clear Which CFP Team He Wants to Play

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The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff are set to be played this week.

Ohio State will face Miami on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl Classic, while the three other games (Texas Tech-Oregon, Indiana-Alabama, and Georgia-Ole Miss) will be played on Jan. 1.

Ohio State is trying to repeat as national champs and would play the winner of the Georgia-Ole Miss game in the semifinals if it can get past Miami.

Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs, who is in his second season with the Buckeyes after spending one season with the Alabama Crimson Tide, would love to play the Bulldogs if both teams win their quarterfinal games. He hasn’t played them since his freshman year when he was with the Crimson Tide.

“I haven’t played them since my freshman year,” Downs said on his “Down 2 Business” podcast that he co-hosts with his brother, Josh. “I mean, Miami and Texas A&M, they are great teams, so it will be, the focus is on them first. But, if we get to that point, we definitely lit. We definitely lit.”

Downs had a smile on his face towards the end of that statement, so he’s definitely excited about the possibility of playing the Bulldogs if it gets to that point. However, the Buckeyes have to go one game at a time, and as Downs points out, the focus is on beating the Hurricanes this week.

Kickoff for the Cotton Bowl Classic will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Related: College Football Playoff Team Losing Nearly Entire Starting Offense

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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