There was quite a bit of discontent within the Ohio State fandom when the Buckeyes came up short in the Big Ten championship to an upstart Indiana that was looking for its first outright title since 1945. At that time, the Big Ten had not yet been created and the league was known as the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, Ohio State has garnered 40 Big Ten titles, so the encounter with the Hoosiers could not have meant as much to the Buckeyes. Head coach Ryan Day’s team had enjoyed a spectacular regular season, winning all 12 regular season games and defeating archrival Michigan in the regular-season finale.
Once the Buckeyes had achieved that win over the Wolverines, the next goal became defending the national championship. Even with the loss to Curt Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza, the Buckeyes still earned the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and the Buckeyes (plus-190) are the favorites to win the championship once again.
Their first playoff game against the Miami Hurricanes will take place in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The Buckeyes have demonstrated throughout the season that they have the weapons on both sides of the ball to dominate against most opponents — and that includes the Hurricanes.
QB Julian Sayin will throw for 250-plus yards and 3 TDs
The Buckeyes have clearly benefitted from having the time off since the Big Ten title game. The biggest revelation is that wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is fully healthy for the first time since mid-November. He had suffered a quad strain in practice prior to the UCLA game. He missed the second half of that game and did not play against Rutgers the following week.
Smith was not at his best against Michigan or Indiana, but he is back in top form. This is great news for quarterback Julian Sayin, who will have Smith and Carnell Lake at his disposal. The combination of Smith and Lake are more than just the best 1-2 punch at the WR position in college football. If that duo was at the next level, they would give an NFL team a dynamic combination of pass catchers.
Sayin has been remarkable this season, completing 279 of 356 passes for 3,323 yards with 31 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. His 78.4 completion percentage is the best in the nation.
The 6-3, 215-pound Smith has been sensational, catching 80 passes for 1,086 yards with 11 TDs. Tate, 6-3 and 190, would clearly be the No. 1 receiver on nearly any other team in college football. He has caught 48 passes for 838 yards with 9 touchdowns. He excels at getting open in critical third-down situations and Sayin knows that if his pass is anywhere near Tate’s catch radius, the receiver will bring it in.
While Ohio State has become known for the high-level wide receivers the school has produced for decades, the running game has also been solid. Bo Jackson has been highly productive with 1,035 yards, 6.2 yards per carry and 5 rushing TDs. He also can get the job done as a receiver with 19 receptions for 200 yards and 1 score.
Defense will hold Carson Beck in check; Caden Curry will record 2.0 sacks
The Buckeyes have played tremendous defensive football throughout the season. They held the Texas Longhorns to 7 points in the season opener and they had the top-ranked scoring defense in college football, allowing an average of 8.2 points per game.
Ohio State has dominating talent on defense, and it starts with the pass rush. Caden Curry leads the Buckeyes with 11 sacks, and he also has 60 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. Curry gets plenty of pass-rush help from DE Kenyatta Jackson and LB Arvell Reese, both of whom have 6.5 sacks. Expect Curry to pressure Miami QB Carson Beck and register at least 2.0 sacks.
LB Sonny Styles and S Caleb Downs are both game changers for Day’s defense. Styles leads the team with 81 tackles and he excels at diagnosing the upcoming play. Downs has 60 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.
Both Styles and Downs will be high draft picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Buckeyes are prepared for top effort, will win by double-digits
The Hurricanes (11-2) were a controversial selection to get into the College Football Playoffs, beating out a Notre Dame team that appeared to have the inside track. Miami went on the road in the first round of the CFP and delivered a 10-3 upset of Texas A&M.
Running back Mark Fletcher had 172 yards in that game and the Buckeyes will focus on limiting his production. Beck comes into the game with fine numbers — 277 of 372 for 3,175 yards with a 26-10 TD-interception ratio — but he is likely to have a difficult time against the Ohio State defense.
The Buckeyes are rested and prepared, and they should come through in second half with a decisive performance. This will allow them to survive and advance to the CFP semifinals against the winner of the Georgia-Ole Miss quarterfinal matchup.
