Ohio State vs. Miami: A Rivalry Renewed With Championship Echoes
There’s history here. Not just the kind you read about in record books or scroll past on social media-but the kind that still stings, still fuels, and still matters more than two decades later.
When No. 1 Ohio State and No.
10 Miami meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve, it won’t just be a battle for a semifinal berth. It’ll be a collision of past and present, with echoes from the 2003 Fiesta Bowl still ringing loud and clear.
That game-one of the most controversial and dramatic national championship finishes in college football history-is never far from the minds of Hurricanes fans. And it turns out, it hasn’t escaped the attention of today’s Buckeyes either.
“You see it all over the internet, all over Twitter,” said Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. “They’re still talking about that 20 years later.
They still worry about it. But we’ve got something coming for them New Year’s Eve.”
Smith isn’t just speaking as a Buckeye. He’s a Miami Gardens native-someone who grew up in the heart of Hurricane country, surrounded by the legacy and pride of “The U.”
He knows exactly what that 2003 loss meant to Miami fans. And now, he’s on the other side of the rivalry, ready to write a new chapter.
The Game That Changed Everything
To understand just how much this upcoming matchup means, you have to go back to that night in Tempe, Arizona. Miami entered the 2003 Fiesta Bowl riding a 34-game winning streak, loaded with future NFL stars and seeking back-to-back national titles.
They were the juggernaut. The dynasty.
The team everyone expected to win.
Ohio State, meanwhile, came in as the underdog-but a dangerous one. The Buckeyes built a 10-point lead and held it into the fourth quarter.
Miami, refusing to go quietly, tied the game at 17 on a clutch 40-yard field goal by Todd Sievers as time expired. That kick sent the game into overtime-just the second time in BCS history that a national title game needed extra time.
Then came the moment that still sparks debate to this day.
In the first overtime, Miami took the lead. Ohio State faced a do-or-die fourth-and-3.
Craig Krenzel’s pass fell incomplete. Game over-at least, it seemed.
Miami players were already celebrating when a late flag came flying in. Pass interference.
First down, Ohio State.
The Buckeyes capitalized, scored, and then finished the job in double overtime with a goal-line stand that sealed a 31-24 win. It was a stunning finish-one that didn’t just crown a champion, but shifted the direction of both programs.
Since then, Ohio State has added two more national titles to its trophy case. Miami? They haven’t come that close again.
A New Stage, Familiar Stakes
Fast forward to now. The stakes might be technically lower-this is a CFP quarterfinal, not a title game-but don’t tell that to either team.
For Miami, it’s a shot at redemption, a chance to finally get one back against the program that handed them their most painful loss. For Ohio State, it’s about maintaining dominance and chasing another championship.
The Buckeyes come in as the heavy favorite, armed with one of the nation’s most complete rosters and a defense that’s been suffocating all season. But don’t sleep on Miami. Head coach Mario Cristobal has this team believing again, and if they can pull off the upset in the Cotton Bowl, they’ll be just two wins away from a national title-something that’s eluded them for over two decades.
This game isn’t just about X’s and O’s. It’s about legacy.
It’s about history. It’s about two programs, once again on a collision course, with everything to gain-and plenty still to prove.
So when the ball kicks off on New Year’s Eve, don’t be surprised if it feels bigger than just another playoff game. Because for Ohio State and Miami, it always is.