Ohio State Opens As Marginal Favorites For Quarterfinal Matchup Against Miami

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With the 2025 College Football Playoffs officially kicking off this week, the Ohio State Buckeyes now know who their first opponent will be in this year’s playoffs.

Following the conclusion of Saturday’s contest, Ohio State has opened as 8.5-point favorites over the Miami Hurricanes, according to multiple sportsbooks.

After a controversial final 2025 CFP selection, the Hurricanes managed to leapfrog the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in seeding, despite neither team having played in a Conference Championship Game. Miami was the last program to receive an at-large bid, leading to the ACC powerhouse’s most recent matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies.

Tasked with playing on the road in the first round, the Hurricanes’ offense struggled to generate any offense against the Aggies, with the team’s lone touchdown coming with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Carson Beck finished the contest completing 14 of his 20 pass attempts for a total of 103 yards through the air.

The main catalyst on offense for Miami, however, was junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who ended the day with 172 rushing yards on 17 carries. Fletcher erupted late in the fourth quarter, breaking off a massive 56-yard run that put the Hurricanes in Aggie territory.

On the other side of the ball, Miami’s defense did a terrific job of forcing turnovers on Saturday afternoon. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw two interceptions, with the last turnover ultimately ending the game.

One defensive player that Ohio State will have its eyes on will be defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr., who racked up three sacks on Reed. The star defender is up to 7.5 sacks on the season, with 4.5 of his sacks coming in Miami’s last two games.

The Buckeyes are now set to take on the Hurricanes on New Year’s Eve in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, which is a familiar game to the well-rounded program. During Ohio State’s incredible 2024 National Championship run, the Buckeyes managed to take down the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, 28-14.

Now, head coach Ryan Day and his squad will have a more favorable matchup in 2025, as the team’s prolific defense will look to limit Beck and the Miami.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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