The defending champions return to a familiar stage Wednesday night, but with history—and a first-time challenger—waiting on the other
No. 2 seed the Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) meets College Football Playoff newcomer Miami Hurricanes (11-2, No. 10 seed) in the Cotton Bowl Classic quarterfinal, a matchup that blends recent CFP dominance with a program seeking to reclaim its place among college football’s elite.
For Ohio State, the Cotton Bowl has become something of a second home. Last January, the Buckeyes used the game as a CFP semifinal stepping stone, beating Texas on their way to four postseason victories and a sixth AP national championship. Two seasons earlier, North Texas marked a very different moment for the program—its final year before the playoff expanded from four teams to 12 and a season-ending Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri after roster turnover and opt-outs following a rivalry defeat to Michigan.
This time, the Buckeyes arrive rested and resolute. Ohio State hasn’t played since a narrow 13-10 loss to top-ranked Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6, a clash of undefeated teams that still earned the Buckeyes a first-round bye. Ryan Day’s team is now chasing something the program has never achieved: consecutive national championships. Ohio State has reached the CFP seven times overall and is the only school to appear in five of the last seven editions, all under Day.
Miami’s path has been far less certain—and far more dramatic. The Hurricanes, making their CFP debut 24 years after their last national title, earned their spot with a gritty 10-3 first-round win at No. 7 seed Texas A&M on Dec. 20. That victory capped a stunning turnaround from early November, when Miami left Dallas after a 26-20 overtime loss at SMU unsure if it would even make the playoff. That defeat marked the Hurricanes’ second loss in three games after a 5-0 start, and they didn’t even reach the ACC title game. Still, Miami benefited from the expanded field and the absence of league champion Duke from the playoff picture—and seized the opportunity.
Now back in Texas for a second straight playoff game, the Hurricanes carry a five-game winning streak and renewed belief.
The quarterback matchup underscores the stakes. Ohio State sophomore Julian Sayin and Miami transfer Carson Beck are the two most accurate passers in the FBS, each now seeking a national championship as a starting quarterback after serving on title-winning teams earlier in their careers.
Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was the Buckeyes’ backup last season behind Will Howard during Ohio State’s championship run. In his first year as the starter, he has been remarkably efficient, throwing for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions while completing an FBS-best 78.4% of his passes (279 of 356). Wednesday will mark his first CFP start.
Beck’s journey to this moment has been longer. After spending four seasons at Georgia from 2020-24—including being part of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship teams in 2021 and 2022—he transferred to Miami to lead the Hurricanes back onto the national stage. Beck did see late action in Georgia’s 65-7 demolition of TCU in the 2022 title game, but this postseason represents his chance to lead a contender himself. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in windy conditions at College Station in his first CFP start, and enters the quarterfinal having thrown for 3,175 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 74.5% of his throws.
History also lingers between these programs. Miami’s last opportunity to win back-to-back national championships ended in heartbreak—a double-overtime loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3, 2003, long before most of the current players were born. The only other bowl meeting between the schools came that night, while Ohio State’s first CFP national title was later secured at AT&T Stadium following the 2014 season.
For Miami, the Cotton Bowl itself carries echoes of past glory. The Hurricanes’ only previous appearance in the game came at the end of the 1990 season, their final year as an independent, when they routed Texas 46-3 in old Cotton Bowl Stadium.
Wednesday night presents something new entirely: a defending champion trying to cement a modern dynasty, and a proud program returning to the playoff spotlight for the first time. One team is chasing history it has never achieved. The other is chasing history it once ruled.
