Cotton Bowl Clash: Miami and Ohio State Set for High-Stakes CFP Quarterfinal Rematch
ARLINGTON, Texas - Over two decades later, the names have changed, but the stakes feel just as high.
When No. 2 Ohio State and No.
10 Miami meet in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, it won’t just be a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. For fans of a certain era, it’s a rematch steeped in one of the most controversial finishes in college football history - the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
That night, a flag changed the course of a national championship and left a legacy that still sparks debate.
Now, the Buckeyes are the ones chasing back-to-back titles. Miami, meanwhile, is looking to reclaim a spot among the sport’s elite - and maybe, just maybe, exorcise a few ghosts along the way.
A Game That Never Went Away
Ask any longtime college football fan about the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and you’ll likely get a passionate response. Miami thought it had sealed its second straight national title after stopping Ohio State on fourth down in overtime.
One official signaled incomplete. The Hurricanes erupted in celebration.
Sean Taylor tossed his helmet skyward. It shattered on impact.
But the game wasn’t over. Another official - back judge Terry Porter - threw a late flag for pass interference.
The call extended the Buckeyes’ drive. They scored, forced a second overtime, and eventually won the game 31-24.
The Hurricanes haven’t won a national title since.
That moment has lived in infamy, with Porter defending the call years later by saying he took an extra beat to get it right. “If you make a call and it’s right, the call goes away.
If you make a call and the call is wrong, it never goes away. Ever,” he said in an interview earlier this year.
For Miami fans, it never did.
Fast Forward to Now
This time, it’s not about what happened in 2003. At least, not for the players.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck wasn’t even two months old when that game was played. And while the echoes of that night in Tempe still linger in the background, this matchup is about the 2025 Hurricanes and Buckeyes - two programs with unfinished business and national title aspirations.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us offensively, but it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to,” Beck said. “We do recognize how talented they are, and we’re going to have to come and execute.”
Execution is the key word. The 2002 Miami team turned the ball over five times and allowed four sacks in that title game - mistakes that proved costly, even before the infamous flag. This year’s Hurricanes can’t afford similar breakdowns against an Ohio State defense that’s been one of the most physical and opportunistic units in the country all season.
A Clash of Blue Bloods
Both programs bring heavyweight pedigrees into this one. Ohio State enters at 12-1, with its eyes on a second straight national championship. Miami, 11-2, has quietly built momentum under head coach Mario Cristobal, who’s brought a toughness and identity back to a program that’s long been searching for both.
Cristobal isn’t interested in revisiting the past. He’s locked in on what’s in front of his team.
“We’re focused on the present,” Cristobal said. “This game is the 2025 Hurricanes and Buckeyes going after it, to be determined by the 22 guys on the field one snap at a time.
That’s going to be the focus. That’s where all our attention will be.”
Still, the history matters. It’s part of what makes college football so rich - the pageantry, the rivalries, the moments that never quite fade. The two teams have met twice since that Fiesta Bowl classic - splitting games in 2010 and 2011 - but neither matchup carried the weight of this one.
This is the College Football Playoff. This is win-or-go-home. And this is a chance for both programs to write a new chapter in a story that’s already had plenty of drama.
Game Info
Cotton Bowl - College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
**No.
2 Ohio State (12-1) vs. No.
10 Miami (11-2)**
Time: 7:30 p.m.
ET, Dec. 31
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: ESPN
Line: Ohio State favored by 9.5
Over/Under: 42.5
The ghosts of 2003 may be watching, but come kickoff, it’s all about the now. Two storied programs.
One playoff ticket to punch. And no flags - we hope - to decide it this time.