Dec. 20, 2025, 9:20 p.m. ET
Ohio State now knows who its opponent will be when it takes the field in the Cotton Bowl Classic on December 31. The No. 10 seed Miami Hurricanes upset No. 7 seed Texas A&M on the Aggies’ home field to advance to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Soon after the ‘Canes intercepted the final pass of their opening round match, the oddsmakers put out their initial line for the Cotton Bowl. According to BetMGM, the Buckeyes open up as a 9.5-point favorite over Miami, with some services favoring OSU by as much as 11.5 points. It is the largest point spread of the current quarterfinal matchups.
Why such a large spread? Well, the Hurricanes didn’t look all that sharp in their win over A&M, at least on the offensive side of the ball. However, Miami’s defense was outstanding, getting to Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed seven times and holding the Texas A&M running game to just 89 yards. If Ohio State doesn’t address the offensive line play that allowed the Hoosiers to sack Julian Sayin five times and hold the Buckeye running game to 58 yards, it could be a much closer game that OSU fans will be comfortable with.
Ohio State will take on Miami on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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