Cotton Bowl Clash: Ohio State, Miami Set for High-Stakes CFP Quarterfinal Rematch
The Cotton Bowl is no stranger to marquee matchups, but this one comes with a little extra history and a lot on the line. Defending national champion Ohio State is making its third straight trip to AT&T Stadium, while Miami returns to Texas just over a week after a gritty win in its College Football Playoff debut. Now, the two programs are set to collide in a CFP quarterfinal that doubles as a rematch more than two decades in the making.
Buckeyes Still Chasing More After Big Ten Heartbreak
For third-ranked Ohio State (12-1), the path to this point has been both familiar and frustrating. Three weeks ago, the Buckeyes came up just short in the Big Ten title game, falling 13-10 to undefeated No.
1 Indiana. That loss cost them a conference crown, but not a shot at the national title.
Thanks to the new 12-team playoff format, Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, giving them time to regroup-and reflect.
“We had to take a step back because that loss kind of hurt,” said cornerback Lorenzo Styles. “We had to feel that pain, but then it’s like everything we want is still in front of us.”
That mindset has defined Ryan Day’s tenure in Columbus. Since taking over as head coach, Day has led the Buckeyes to six CFP appearances in seven years-a level of consistency matched by no other program in that span. This year marks their seventh overall trip to the playoff, and it all started with a title run in the inaugural CFP back in 2014-ironically, in the same stadium where they’ll take the field on New Year’s Eve.
Linebacker Sonny Styles, Lorenzo’s brother, echoed the team’s sense of urgency heading into the Cotton Bowl.
“We know the last time we stepped on the field, we left something on the field,” he said. “So this time, we got to leave everything out there.”
Hurricanes Riding Momentum Into Familiar Territory
On the other sideline, 10th-ranked Miami (11-2) is embracing its underdog role. The Hurricanes didn’t play in the ACC Championship Game, but still earned an at-large bid into the playoff field.
Their first-ever CFP appearance came just nine days before this Cotton Bowl matchup-a 10-3 defensive slugfest win over No. 7 Texas A&M in College Station.
Now, they’re back in Texas, just 200 miles from where they earned that win, with a shot at taking down one of college football’s blue bloods.
Head coach Mario Cristobal isn’t putting too much stock into the scheduling dynamics. Ohio State has had a longer break.
Miami’s coming off a quick turnaround. But in Cristobal’s eyes, there’s no magic formula when it comes to time off in December football.
“You can never tell,” Cristobal said. “That’s gone back and forth in so many different ways over the years.
And I think if you could put it in a bottle and sell it, you would be a billionaire. The bye weeks and the extra time off, sometimes it’s been great for people, and sometimes it hasn’t.
And then vice versa as it relates to playing.”
A 2003 Classic Revisited
This isn’t just a playoff game-it’s a rematch 23 years in the making. The only other time these two programs met in the postseason was the unforgettable 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
That game, a double-overtime thriller, ended with Ohio State denying Miami a second straight national title. The Hurricanes haven’t claimed a national championship since.
The stakes aren’t quite the same this time-at least not yet-but the implications are massive. For Ohio State, it’s a chance to defend their crown and take another step toward back-to-back titles. For Miami, it’s about proving they belong on college football’s biggest stage and rewriting the narrative that’s followed the program for two decades.
Back in the Building Where Champions Are Made
Ohio State knows this building well. Their title run last season included a Cotton Bowl win over Texas, part of a three-game postseason stretch that ended with a national championship win over Notre Dame.
That Cotton Bowl was a semifinal game under the old four-team format. This year, it’s a quarterfinal-but the stakes feel just as high.
Two years ago, the Buckeyes were in this same stadium but fell short against Missouri in a non-playoff Cotton Bowl. Now, with a championship to defend and a Miami team hungry for redemption, Ohio State returns to Arlington with a different kind of edge.
Get ready. This one’s got all the ingredients-history, talent, urgency, and a ticket to the national semifinal on the line.