Miami Hurricanes vs Ohio State Buckeyes Cotton Bowl Prediction & Odds - 12/31/2025
Updated July 9, 2026
The Miami Hurricanes will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes advanced in a defensive struggle in the first round of the playoff, while Ohio State had a bye as the second seed in the tournament. Who will move onto the semifinals? Continue reading to get my Miami vs Ohio State prediction right here.
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The Miami Hurricanes won ugly in the first round of the College Football Playoff, winning on the road over the Texas A&M Aggies. But that was a low-scoring game in which Miami's offense didn't accomplish much at Kyle Field. Going into a game against the best defense in college football this season, Miami has to figure out a way to generate more offense if they are going to have a chance to move onto the semifinals.
Ohio State will enter the playoff trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season in their last outing. They lost the Big Ten championship game in excrutiating fashion against the Indiana Hoosiers, dropping the Buckeyes from first in the rankings down to second before the bracket was released. Ohio State's culture wouldn't lead me to believe they'll suffer any sort of hangover here, but you never know.
Carson Beck didn't have a great day in the first round of the CFP against A&M. Beck barely cleared 100 passing yards on 23 attempts against the Aggies and could be in for an even tougher day against Ohio State. At the very least, Beck has to avoid turning the ball over like he did in round one to help the Canes stay in this contest.
The quarterback of the Buckeyes is Julian Sayin, who was a finalist for this year's Heisman Trophy. Sayin thre for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions to help Ohio State get to the playoff. This is his first meaningful action in the CFP and he will try to prove that his regular season was no fluke on this stage.
Score Projection: Ohio State 28, Miami 14
Win Probability: Ohio State 80%, Miami 20%
I wasn't all that high on Miami before the College Football Playoff. But I am downright concerned about them going into the Cotton Bowl Classic against Ohio State. The Buckeyes' defense is not the defense you want to see after struggling to score against another quality opponent. I'll lay the points with Ohio State, as they should roll into the semifinals once again.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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