After starting their College Football Playoff run by beating the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, the Miami Hurricanes are still moving on. It’s been such a stressful run for the Hurricanes so far, but Miami just beat Ohio State in a pretty impressive way, securing a 10-point win over the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Hurricanes were able to jump out to a 14-0 lead over Ohio State thanks to a dominant effort in the second quarter. Carson Beck led the Hurricanes down the field on a 13-play, 83-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock to get Miami’s first touchdown.
The second score for Miami came a lot quicker as Julian Sayin was picked off by Keionte Scott for a pick six touchdown.
In the third quarter, Ohio State tried crawling back into the game and the Buckeyes got on the board thanks to a Bo Jackson 1-yard touchdown run, but Miami responded with a field goal to stretch the lead to 17-7 entering the fourth quarter.
Sayin did get the Buckeyes back within striking distance thanks to a 14-yard touchdown pass, cutting Miami's lead to 17-14, but the Hurricanes went on a long touchdown drive of their own, scoring with less than a minute left to put the game out of reach at 24-14.
Miami Hurricanes advance on to the Fiesta Bowl after eliminating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl
Here’s what the College Football Playoff bracket now looks like with Ohio State heading home following a humbling loss in Arlington to the Miami Hurricanes.
Hey look, a CFP bracket update.
— The Underdog Tribune (@UnderdogTribune) January 1, 2026
Miami is moving on. The Hurricanes just secured a 10-point win in Arlington over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Miami will play in the Fiesta Bowl against the winner of the Sugar Bowl between Ole Miss and Georgia pic.twitter.com/VjWSWOb8a1
The Hurricanes are now set to play against whichever team wins in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. Whether it’s the Ole Miss Rebels or the Georgia Bulldogs, we’ll find out soon enough. Either way, the Hurricanes are advancing on to the Fiesta Bowl thanks to their impressive 10-point win against the Buckeyes.
Mario Cristobal and Miami deserve a ton of credit for the way this game played out. They simply looked so much sharper than the Buckeyes did in seemingly every facet of the game. In every aspect, Ohio State looked outmatched. And that’s impressive given how good the Buckeyes have looked all season long.