No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 2 Ohio State: What to know, how to watch Cotton Bowl

The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (11-2) face the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) on Wednesday in the Cotton Bowl, a quarterfinal of the 2025 College Football Playoff. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Here is what you need to know about the matchup.

How can I watch the Miami Hurricanes vs. Ohio State Buckeyes game?

The game will be televised on ESPN and available to stream on the ESPN app.

Who is favored in the Miami Hurricanes vs. Ohio State Buckeyes game?

The Hurricanes are a nine-and-a-half-point underdog against Ohio State, according to Odds Shark as of Tuesday morning. The over/under is 42 points.

What is the history between the Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes?

Miami is 2-3 all time against Ohio State, although the Buckeyes’ win on Sept. 11, 2010 was vacated. The Hurricanes won the most recent matchup with the Buckeyes, 24-6 on Sept. 7, 2011, in Miami Gardens.

However, the most notable meeting between these teams was the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which determined the national champion for the 2002 season. Ohio State won that game 31-24 in double overtime albeit not without controversy — namely a pass interference call against Miami defender Glenn Sharpe on fourth down during the first overtime period.

What were the expectations for the Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes entering the season?

Miami was voted to finish second to Clemson in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.

Ohio State was voted to finish second to Penn State in the 18-team Big Ten.

How did the regular season unfold for the Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes?

The Hurricanes swept through their nonconference schedule, with wins against the then-No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, then-No. 18 USF Bulls and the Florida Gators. Miami opened ACC play with a win at FSU before dropping two of its next three — losing to Louisville and SMU with a win against Stanford in between. The Hurricanes then won their final four games against Syracuse, NC State, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh in convincing fashion to secure their spot in the College Football Playoff. UM then beat Texas A&M 10-3 in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Buckeyes went a perfect 12-0, highlighted by a 14-7 season-opening win over Texas and 27-9 win over Michigan, to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State lost the conference title game 13-10 to the Indiana Hoosiers.

What are the keys for the Miami Hurricanes against the Ohio State Buckeyes?

A more in-depth breakdown of five keys can be found here, but here’s the condensed version:

Don’t waste scoring opportunities: Ohio State has the nation’s top scoring defense, giving up an average of just 8.2 points per game. The Buckeyes have not allowed more than 16 points in any game this season and had a pair of shutouts against Grambling State and Wisconsin. The Hurricanes rank tied for 29th in scoring offense, averaging 32.2 points per game but scored just 10 points in their first-round win at Texas A&M. They missed three field goals on drives that got inside the Aggies’ 30-yard line, punted on five other drives and lost a fourth-quarter fumble in Texas A&M territory.

Get a bounce-back performance from Carson Beck: Beck completed 14 of 20 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown against Texas A&M but was only 2 for 7 on passes that were more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

They’ll need the version of Beck they saw at the end of the regular season — the one who completed 89 of 112 pass attempts (79.46% completion rate) for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception — if they want to compete with Ohio State.

Contain Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate: Smith and Tate have combined for 128 receptions, 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Miami will need its outside corner rotation of Xavier Lucas, OJ Frederique and Ethan O’Connor to have another strong outing to limit those two.

Win the line of scrimmage: This is always the top priority for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes rank among the top 15 nationally according to Pro Football focus in pass rushing (second, 92.1 overall grade), pass blocking (second, 87.5 overall grade), run blocking (10th, 74.0 overall grade) and run defense (ninth, 93.1 overall grade).

Ohio State’s ranks: Tied for 38th in pass rushing (79.5 overall grade), tied for 27th in pass blocking (75.9 overall grade), second in run defense (94.6 overall grade) and seventh in run blocking (75.7 overall grade).

Win the turnover battle: The Hurricanes are a plus-11 overall in turnover margin this season, tied for the eighth-best differential in college football this season. Miami is 8-0 this season when winning the turnover battle, 2-0 when turnovers are equal and 1-2 when losing turnover battle. UM is also 1-2 when committing multiple turnovers.

Who are five Miami Hurricanes players to watch?

Mark Fletcher Jr.: He’s coming off a career game against Texas A&M (172 rushing yards on just 17 carries) and was the reason for any semblance of offensive success for the Hurricanes. If he can build on that and take some pressure off Beck, that would be ideal.

Malachi Toney: The freshman phenom was held mostly in check against Texas A&M but did score the game-winning touchdown on a shovel pass in the final two minutes. Getting him going early is a must.

Francis Mauigoa: The All-American right tackle will set the tone for Miami’s offensive line against an Ohio State team with a stout defensive line that can live in an opponent’s backfield — the Buckeyes have 74 tackles for loss and 33 sacks this season.

Rueben Bain Jr.: Bain had four tackles for loss, three sacks and a blocked field goal against Texas A&M for arguably his best game as a Hurricane. The projected first round pick will need to build on that performance.

Keionte Scott: Miami’s do-it-all nickel cornerback had 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against Texas A&M in his return from a three-game absence.

Who are five Ohio State Buckeyes players to watch?

Julian Sayin: The sophomore was a Heisman Trophy finalist after leading the nation in completion percentage (78.4%) while throwing for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns against six interceptions.

Kayden McDonald: The defensive tackle, projected to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, has 57 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this season.

Arvell Reese: The junior linebacker is second on the Buckeyes with 62 tackles and also has 10 tackles for loss, six-and-a-half sacks and two pass breakups.

Caden Curry: The defensive end leads the Buckeyes with 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He also has one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Caleb Downs: The safety is tied for Ohio State’s team lead with two interceptions while also logging 60 tackles.