How Ohio State would match up with Miami in CFP quarterfinals
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Miami was on the right sight of the bubble this time.
A year after the Hurricanes were the second team out of the College Football Playoff, they made the cut.
In one of the selection committee’s most controversial decisions on selection Sunday, it gave the Hurricanes the last at-large berth over Notre Dame.
Though Miami had beaten the Irish in late August, it had been behind them in the penultimate rankings before the 10-2 teams were flipflopped while idle on conference championship weekend.
The snub of Notre Dame removed the potential for a rematch of last year’s final, but if the Hurricanes upset Texas A&M, they could meet Ohio State in the quarterfinals and evoke familiar memories of a title game from a previous era.
Who will Ohio State play in College Football Playoff?
No. 2 seed Ohio State will be up against the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in the quarterfinals.
How Ohio State football would match up with Miami
The wild card is Carson Beck, the veteran quarterback who transferred from Georgia to Miami to take over for Cam Ward.
While Beck has long been seen as having NFL-caliber arm talent, he also runs hot and cold. Beck threw six interceptions in the Hurricanes’ two midseason losses, including four in an upset by Louisville.
He ended the regular season on a higher note, throwing for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception over Miami’s four-game winning streak, leaning heavily on breakout freshman Malachi Toney in the slot.
Despite the inconsistency, Beck could test Ohio State’s secondary as one of just three 3,000-yard passers in the playoff field.
Miami football's biggest strengths
Mario Cristobal made one of the best coordinator hires of the offseason last January when he hired away Corey Hetherman from Minnesota.
It’s resulted in a defensive turnaround.
The Hurricanes have gone from giving up 25.3 points per game in 2024 to 13.8 points this season.
Only five FBS defenses allow fewer points per game than the Hurricanes, who held seven opponents to one touchdown or less during the regular season.
Rueben Bain Jr., a defensive end who was named the ACC’s defensive player of the year, has had a breakout year, especially as a pass rusher. He has 58 total pressures, ranking sixth in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus. Akheem Mesidor is another disruptive end with 44 pressures.
Miami football's biggest shortcomings
The running game has struggled this year without Damien Martinez, who left early for the NFL after rushing for 1,002 yards in his lone season at Miami after transferring from Oregon State.
The Hurricanes have trouble in both efficiency and explosiveness. They rank 79th in the FBS in rushing success rate and 80th in yards per carry. Only seven runs have gone for 20 yards or more yards, fewer than all but 10 teams in Division I’s top tier.
Mark Fletcher Jr., the one-time Ohio State commit who leads the Hurricanes in rushing, missed two games in November with an injury.
Ohio State vs. Miami history
There is indeed a postseason history between Ohio State and Miami.
It was nearly 23 years ago when the Buckeyes stunned the Hurricanes as two-touchdown underdogs in the Fiesta Bowl to capture their first national title since 1968.
The double-overtime thriller is not their most recent meeting as they later scheduled a home-and-home series. Ohio State won 36-24 in 2010 and lost 24-6 the following year under interim coach Luke Fickell.
When does Ohio State play next?
The Buckeyes’ quarterfinal is scheduled for Dec. 31 at the Cotton Bowl, which is held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
College Football Playoff schedule 2025-26
- First round: Dec. 19 and 20
- Quarterfinals: Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
- Semifinals: Jan. 8 and 9
- National championship: Jan. 19
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who does Ohio State play next in CFP? Scouting a possible Miami game
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