CFP quarterfinals get started with defending champion Ohio State against Miami in Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Defending national champion Ohio State is back in a familiar spot at the Cotton Bowl, taking on College Football Playoff first-timer Miami in the first of the four quarterfinal games.

The third-ranked Buckeyes (12-1, CFP No. 2 seed), again without a Big Ten title but still with a first-round bye, had 3 1/2 weeks between their 13-10 loss to undefeated No. 1 Indiana in the conference championship game and the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.

No. 10 Miami (11-2, CFP No. 10 seed) didn’t even make the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, but the Hurricanes have a five-game winning streak since an overtime loss Nov. 1 at SMU, less than 25 miles from AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys where the Cotton Bowl is played. They also made their CFP debut in the Lone Star State, winning 10-3 at No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round on Dec. 20.

Ohio State is in its third consecutive Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes lost the first of those to Missouri when the bowl wasn’t a playoff game in 2023, but they beat Texas 28-14 in a CFP semifinal there last January. They then beat Notre Dame for the national title.

It was also at AT&T Stadium where Ohio State won the first national championship game of the CFP era, over Oregon at the end of the 2014 season when there were only four playoff teams. When the field expanded to 12 last season, all four teams that had first-round byes lost in the quarterfinal round after their extended breaks.

The other three quarterfinal games this postseason — the Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls — are Thursday.

Next for the Cotton Bowl winner is a CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 against No. 3 seed Georgia or No. 6 seed Ole Miss, the SEC teams in the Sugar Bowl.

There are five first-team AP All-Americans in the Cotton Bowl, four from Ohio State: Miami native and sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith, defensive lineman Kayden McDonald, linebacker Arvell Reese and safety Caleb Downs, who was a CFP starter for Alabama in 2023 before being part of Ohio State’s title last season. Miami’s first-team All-America pick was offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

Both quarterbacks have been part of national championships but neither as a starter. Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin was a freshman backup behind Will Howard for Ohio State last season. Miami QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, was part of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022.

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