No. 2 Ohio State and No. 10 Miami have only met five times, most recently in 2011, but there’s plenty of history between the two storied programs. For old college football fans, you may remember the 2002 BCS National Championship game, both undefeated at the time, ending in a double overtime victory for the Buckeyes.
Here’s a look at how the two teams ended up in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals nearly 23 years later.
🌰 Ohio State (12-1)
What do you like about this year’s Buckeyes team?
Ohio State has led the AP poll for nearly the entire season. The Buckeyes moved into the No. 1 ranking by beating then-No. Texas was ranked No. 1 on the opening weekend of the season, and they carried that streak into conference championship weekend with wins over higher-ranked Illinois and Michigan to go undefeated through the regular season. The Buckeyes’ only blemish was a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and their first conference title since 2020.
However, the fact that OSU only dropped one spot shows how good this team is. Heisman quarterback Julian Sain leads the nation in completion percentage (78.4%) and has five games with over 300 passing yards and three interceptions. The main reason for his success is that his two-headed monster of receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate has perhaps the best one-two punch in the country.
The defense was impressive as well, allowing the nation’s fewest yards per game (213.5) and just 10 touchdowns. Four players earned first-team All-Big 10 selections, the most of any team in the conference with impact players.
Although they limited the Hoosiers to just 13 points at Lucas Oil Stadium, Sain and the offense struggled against Indiana’s elite defense. They should expect a similar, high-octane defense from Miami.
🙌 Miami (11-2)
The energy is high in Miami-Dade State after the Hurricanes rolled into College Station and defeated Texas A&M 10-3. Defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald’s second interception of the game showed just how good Miami’s defense has been against the Aggies and through the first few weeks of the season.
Neither scored in the first half due to the windy atmosphere at Kyle Field, but that doesn’t take away from how good the defense was. Miami forced three turnovers late in the game, racked up seven sacks and allowed TAMU just two red-zone opportunities on 11 drives. Star defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. was a wreck all game, finishing with three sacks, four tackles for loss and a blocked field goal.
Complaints also arise when necessary. They were Mark Fletcher Jr., who ran for 172 yards, including a 75-yarder in the Hurricanes’ fourth quarter. Freshman Malachi Toney redeemed himself by hitting the game-winning touchdown after a late-game miss.
The win, as ugly as it was, showed Miami’s ability to win without giving up a lot of points, something they have developed since the start of their 2025 campaign. The Hurricanes have averaged 34.6 points per game in their three straight wins through the first six weeks of the season.
They now have a five-game winning streak heading into their biggest and toughest game of the year at Ohio State.
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