Past meets the present with a potential championship in the future when No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 10 Miami in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.
The Cotton Bowl matchup conjures good memories for Buckeyes followers and anger from fans of the Hurricanes who feel aggrieved by a 31-24 double overtime loss in the 2002 BCS title game, blaming a late flag for pass interference on Miami for helping Ohio State snatch victory from their grasp.
For all the talk of a rematch by media and fans, standout receivers receiver Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State and Miami’s Malachi Toney and nearly all their teammates weren’t even born when the Buckeyes won the first of their three national titles this century.
The most recent was last season and even though Ohio State (12-1) had a 16-game winning streak snapped in a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, Miami coach Mario Cristobal said the Buckeyes are as dangerous as ever.
“They’re the defending national champions. They have elite talent, some really high-caliber players,” Cristobal said. “Just about in every category offensively and defensively, they’re one, two, three, four, five in the country.”
Miami, playing in its first Bowl Championship Series or CFP game since 2002, defeated Texas A&M 10-3 in a first-round game in which the Hurricanes totaled seven sacks and nine tackles for loss, led by All-American defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025.
“This is a really talented team,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of Miami. “I mean, really talented. They’ve got players all over the field. … Some of the guys on our team know some of the guys on their team and grew up around them, so they’re excited.”
Eight Buckeyes are from the state of Florida, including the sophomore Smith (Miami Gardens), a first-team All-American who has 1,086 yards on 80 catches with 11 touchdowns despite sustaining a late-season strained quad which caused him to miss a game.
Smith said he is healthy and ready to play the Hurricanes, but starting right guard Tegra Tshabola will be unavailable because of an undisclosed injury. Gabe VanSickle or Joshua Padilla could start in that spot. The Buckeyes’ offensive line will be put to the test after Indiana recorded six sacks.
