You’re Nuts: What are you most excited to see from Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?

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As the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl inches closer, the excitement is rising for what Ohio State fans will see out of their Buckeyes on Wednesday night. Last year, there was a lot more tension heading into the first game of the playoff for the Buckeyes, as there were many calling for Ryan Day’s job following a fourth straight loss to Michigan. Ohio State came out of the gates hot against Tennessee, never cooling down in their magical four-game run to the national championship.

Even though the Buckeyes are again coming off a 13-10 loss prior to their first playoff game, the mood among Ohio State fans is a lot more optimistic heading into the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes went toe-to-toe in the Big Ten Championship Game against the only other undefeated team in the country, and had it not been for some self-inflicted mistakes, then Ohio State might be the top-seed in the playoff and getting ready for the Rose Bowl for a second straight year.

Since many Buckeye fans were focusing on the bad ahead of last year’s game against Tennessee, this year we are going to try to put a more positive spin on Ohio State’s opening playoff game. Today, we want to know what you are most excited to see from Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. It could be how a player or position group responds to the loss to Indiana. Or maybe there is an area you know the Buckeyes have a clear advantage over the Hurricanes. Then there also could be some sickos who are welcoming Ryan Day calling the plays in this game after Brian Hartline accepted the South Florida job.

Today’s question: What are you most excited to see from Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: Ohio State’s defense against Carson Beck

I know Carson Beck has seen just about everything there is to see in college football after being the backup on two national title teams for Georgia, starting two years for the Bulldogs, and then transferring to Miami for his senior season. Then again, this Ohio State defense is not only in the conversation as one of the best in school history; statistically, they are one of the best seen in college football this century.

What I’m most excited to see in this game is the type of schemes Matt Patricia draws up to confuse Carson Beck and force the Miami quarterback into mistakes. I know Beck is one of just three active FBS quarterbacks with over 10,000 yards passing, but Patricia has been the defensive coordinator on a number of teams that have won the Super Bowl. Patricia has probably forgotten more about football than Beck has ever seen.

It’s not like Beck lit the world on fire in Miami’s win over Texas A&M. As I was watching the game, I was thinking that no matter which team ended up moving on to the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State would cause fits for either Beck or Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed. I stand by my initial thoughts from before Christmas, even more so knowing that the Buckeyes will be going up against Beck. Just remember back to earlier this year when Beck threw four interceptions against a pretty average Louisville defense.

If Ohio State can make Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza look pretty average, I think they can make Beck look so much worse. This feels like a game where Caleb Downs takes over and gets in the head of Beck all game long and shows why he is thought of as the top defensive player in the 2026 NFL Draft. It feels like Downs hasn’t been totally unleashed by Patricia yet, since the defensive coordinator has been saving Downs for the biggest games for the Buckeyes this year.

Matt’s answer: The return of Dark Ryan Day

I watched the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game from the press box high above Lucas Oil Stadium, and let me tell you, friends, the Ohio State offense was not exactly a sight to behold. While the regular season had seen a meticulous and methodical approach on that side of the ball, against Indiana, we got a plodding and pathetic iteration that I hope we never see again.

Now, as is always the case across Buckeye Nation, there are conspiracy theories about who was actually running the offense, whether Brian Hartline accepting the head coaching position at South Florida meant that tight ends coach Keenan Bailey had assumed play calling responsibilities, or if Ryan Day just decided that, since the result of the game had little impact on playoff seedings, he didn’t want to show much in a relatively meaningless game with the prospect of playing IU again in the championship game.

Whatever happened in that game (which was obviously also heavily impacted by a tremendous Hoosier defense) is now behind us, as Day has announced that he will be the primary play caller in the College Football Playoff, with Hartline splitting time between the Buckeyes and building his USF program.

Day has said that quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler will be up in the box helping, and that it will be a joint effort, but that the head coach will make the final call. Now, over the years, I have been very vocal about Day giving up full-time playcalling. I just don’t think that at a place like Ohio State, the head coach will ever have the bandwidth to be the CEO of a billion-dollar operation and be doing the work to most effectively call plays.

However, I do think that in hyper-focused circumstances, like the postseason, Day not only has the ability to do that, but it might be when he is at his best. Ohio State has not played since Saturday, Dec. 6, meaning that when they take to the turf in Jerry World tomorrow, it will have been three and a half weeks for Day et al. to scheme up fixes for what ails the Buckeyes, especially in the red zone, and a week and a half to focus specifically on Miami’s excellent defensive front.

So, I am excited to see what the laser-focused version of Ryan Day can do with a now healthy Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, and nearly a month to prepare. Yes, the Buckeye offensive line is going through some injuries, but that’s not a shock to the staff; they have had time to plan for that.

I am anticipating an offensive explosion like we saw last year to open the playoffs. Watch out, world, Dark Ryan Day and his Buckeye Death Star are ready for another historic championship run!

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