Tag: Ohio State

Everything you need to know about the Cotton Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

COTTON BOWL
College Football Playoff quarterfinal
No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (11-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium)
Consensus odds: Ohio State -9.5, Total 41.5 points

Defending national champion Ohio State returns to the College Football Playoff for the seventh time in 12 years on Wednesday night, in what will be the first game for the Buckeyes since losing the Big Ten championship game to Indiana.

The 25-day break for the Buckeyes was not a vacation for No. 10 Miami, which won a heart-stopper at Texas A&M (10-3) in the first round last week to set up a rematch of the BCS National Championship game played in Jan. 2003.

There is no rest for the winner with a game Thursday (Jan. 8), a CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl where either No. 3 Georgia or No. 6 Ole Miss will be the opponent. The SEC foes square off in a rematch of their regular-season shootout on Jan. 1 at the Sugar Bowl for the right to head to Arizona.

Ohio State, playing in the Cotton Bowl Classic for the third consecutive year, is No. 2 in CFP wins with seven. Only Alabama (10) has more.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ohio State
WR Jeremiah Smith had 19 receptions for 381 yards and five TDs in last year’s four games as the Buckeyes marched to the national title. Smith, a two-time All-American and only a sophomore, averages 90.5 receiving yards per game. He has 80 receptions for 1,086 and 11 TD catches.

LB Sonny Styles might get lost in the national conversation about do-it-all safety Caleb Downs, a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 draft. But Styles’ production puts him in an elite class. He had a team high 45 solo tackles and led the team in total tackles. Among his top showings with the Buckeyes was a 26-total tackle effort in the 2024 CFP win over No. 7 Tennessee.

Miami
DE Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain destroyed Texas A&M with 3.0 sacks last week in the CFP first round upset in College Station. Bain was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year also had a blocked field goal and four total tackles for loss against the Aggies. With injury concerns up front, Ohio State might be forced to commit extra blockers to control the agile, explosive and powerful Bain.

QB Carson Beck
Not all of Miami’s players are CFP newbies.

Beck is 35-5 all-time as a starter and the Georgia transfer joined the 10,000-yard passing club this season. Playing behind an offensive line that used the same starting five all season, Beck could be an X-factor in the chess match with Ohio State’s speedy defense.

COMING IN APRIL
Downs will be a first-round pick after helping the Buckeyes rank first nationally in total defense (213.5 yards per game), scoring defense (8.2 points) and passing yards (129.1). He is third on the team with 60 tackles (40 solo) with five tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack. He will start in the playoffs for a third straight season; he was a freshman at Alabama in 2023.

BABY JESUS
The country will get to know Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney is this season’s version of Smith, setting the school single-season record for catches with 89. He’s just a freshman, but his reputation is enormous.

Nicknamed “Baby Jesus,” Toney scored the game-winning touchdown at Texas A&M.

He has 992 yards and eight touchdowns — also Miami freshman records plus 20 carries for 98 yards and a TD while averaging 15.8 yards on 17 punt returns.

“He’s their gadget guy,” Ohio State defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. said. “He can do everything. I mean, just coming in as a freshman, he’s supposed to be in high school right now.”

–Field Level Media

No. 2 Ohio State, No. 10 Miami traveling Memory Lane to Cotton Bowl

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Past meets the present with a potential championship in the future when No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 10 Miami in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.

The Cotton Bowl matchup conjures good memories for Buckeyes followers and anger from fans of the Hurricanes who feel aggrieved by a 31-24 double overtime loss in the 2002 BCS title game, blaming a late flag for pass interference on Miami for helping Ohio State snatch victory from their grasp.

For all the talk of a rematch by media and fans, standout receivers receiver Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State and Miami’s Malachi Toney and nearly all their teammates weren’t even born when the Buckeyes won the first of their three national titles this century.

The most recent was last season and even though Ohio State (12-1) had a 16-game winning streak snapped in a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, Miami coach Mario Cristobal said the Buckeyes are as dangerous as ever.

“They’re the defending national champions. They have elite talent, some really high-caliber players,” Cristobal said. “Just about in every category offensively and defensively, they’re one, two, three, four, five in the country.”

Miami, playing in its first Bowl Championship Series or CFP game since 2002, defeated Texas A&M 10-3 in a first-round game in which the Hurricanes totaled seven sacks and nine tackles for loss, led by All-American defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.

The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025.

“This is a really talented team,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of Miami. “I mean, really talented. They’ve got players all over the field. … Some of the guys on our team know some of the guys on their team and grew up around them, so they’re excited.”

Eight Buckeyes are from the state of Florida, including the sophomore Smith (Miami Gardens), a first-team All-American who has 1,086 yards on 80 catches with 11 touchdowns despite sustaining a late-season strained quad which caused him to miss a game.

Smith said he is healthy and ready to play the Hurricanes, but starting right guard Tegra Tshabola will be unavailable because of an undisclosed injury. Gabe VanSickle or Joshua Padilla could start in that spot. The Buckeyes’ offensive line will be put to the test after Indiana recorded six sacks.

–Field Level Media

Ryan Day takes Ohio State play-calling role from Brian Hartline for CFP

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When Ohio State faces Miami in its College Football Playoff opener, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day will be the one calling offensive plays against the Hurricanes, taking over duties from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

Hartline took the head coaching job at South Florida on Dec. 3, and Day said he will have Hartline focus on coaching the team’s receivers in the Cotton Bowl as he balances his responsibilities.

“We wanted to take (play-calling) off of Brian’s plate because he’s got so much going on with what he’s trying to do,” Day told reporters Monday. “It’s such a strange calendar and the timing is brutal, but he’s handled it really well. It’s a lot on his plate to manage.

“We’re kind of taking it day to day. Going into the game, it’ll be a group effort. (Tight ends coach) Keenan (Bailey) will be very much involved. Ultimately it will be my decision what calls go into the game.”

It will not be a new role for Day, who as head coach called Ohio State’s offensive plays until handing those duties over to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly last season.

With Kelly’s departure for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, Hartline was promoted from his position as receivers coach. He led the Buckeyes this season to rank 17th nationally in scoring at 34.9 points per game.

The Big Ten championship game, however, saw the Buckeyes muster only 10 points in a 13-10 loss to Indiana on Dec. 6.

–Field Level Media

CFP quarterfinals: Oregon lone lower seed favored

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Oregon coach Dan Lanning was frustrated by his team’s second-half performance on Saturday night, but that didn’t stop oddsmakers from installing the Ducks as the lone road favorite for the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

No. 5 Oregon will square off against No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, with the Ducks sitting as a consensus 1.0-point favorite on Sunday.

The other three higher seeds are all at least touchdown favorites.

No. 1 Indiana is a consensus 7.0-point favorite over No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while No. 3 Georgia is a 7.5-point favorite against No. 6 in an SEC rematch in the Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide opened the playoffs by overcoming a 17-0 deficit at Oklahoma, going on to a 10-point victory after all four road teams lost in the opening round last year.

The biggest spread is owned by No. 2 Ohio State, which opened as an 8.5-point favorite shortly after No. 10 Miami outlasted No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 on Saturday. However, the consensus line for had moved to 10.0 points by Sunday morning.

The Buckeyes and Hurricanes will play in the first CFP quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve. The other three games will be played on New Year’s Day.

All four teams with first-round byes last season lost their playoff openers.

Ohio State is the strongest favorite to advance to the semifinals at -425 at DraftKings. The Buckeyes are followed by Indiana and Georgia at -260, Oregon (-115), Texas Tech (-105), Alabama and Ole Miss at +210 and Miami (+320).

The Buckeyes are also favorite to win the CFP title at +200.

CFP TITLE ODDS*
Ohio State (+200)
Indiana (+320)
Georgia (+475)
Oregon (+750)
Texas Tech (+800)
Alabama (+1800)
Miami (+2200)
Ole Miss (+2500)
*DraftKings

–Field Level Media

Indiana takes No. 1 spot in AP Top 25 for first time in history

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Undefeated Indiana sits atop the Associated Press Top 25 football poll for the first time in school history after its 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night.

In this week’s poll, released Sunday morning, the Hoosiers earned all 66 first-place votes as they booted the Buckeyes out of first place for the first time after 14 weeks.

Georgia, which won the Southeastern Conference title game over Alabama on Saturday, moved to No. 2, with Ohio State falling to No. 3 and Big 12 champ Texas Tech slotted in at No 4.

In the voting, Georgia finished just 12 points ahead of Ohio State.

Before this season, Indiana had not ranked higher than No. 4.

At this stage of the campaign, the poll takes a back seat to the decisions of the College Football Playoff committee, which will announce the 12 teams that will vie for the national championship early Sunday afternoon.

Here are the top 25 teams, with records included.

1. Indiana, 13-0
2. Georgia, 12-1
3. Ohio State, 12-1
4. Texas Tech, 12-1
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Ole Miss, 11-1
7. Texas A&M, 11-1
8. Oklahoma, 10-2
9. Notre Dame, 10-2
10. Miami, 10-2
11. Alabama, 10-3
12. BYU, 11-2
13. Vanderbilt, 10-2
14. Texas, 9-3
15. Utah, 10-2
16. Southern California, 9-3
17. Tulane, 11-2
18. Michigan, 9-3
19. James Madison, 12-1
20. Virginia, 10-3
21. Arizona, 9-3
22. Navy, 9-2
23. North Texas, 11-2
24. Georgia Tech, 9-3
25. Missouri, 8-4

–Field Level Media

No. 1 WR Ohio State Chris Henry Jr. says he will sign with Ohio State

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Chris Henry Jr., the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class, said Friday he remains committed to Ohio State and will sign his national letter of intent with the Buckeyes.

Henry had been pledged to the Buckeyes since July 28, 2023, but Oregon and Southern California made strong last-minute pushes, with Texas and LSU also in the mix. The departure of Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, hired as the head coach at South Florida, compounded the uncertainty as the early signing period opened on Wednesday.

On Friday, he said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN that Ohio State is his choice because he knew it was the right fit.

“It was never really about the money. I was getting tons of offers (from) other places … but ultimately for me, it was just a place I feel comfortable being developed and ultimately reaching my goal, which is to be a first-round draft pick,” he said.

His father, the late Chris Henry, was a third-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of West Virginia in 2005.

Ohio State currently has the No. 6 class in the nation, before the signing of the younger Henry, according to the 247Sports composite. It also ranks the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Henry as the No. 10 overall player in the nation.

He will enter Ohio State from powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif.

–Field Level Media

Big Ten title, No. 1 playoff spot on line for Indiana, Ohio State

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INDIANAPOLIS — Never before in the 15-year history of the Big Ten Championship Game has there been more at stake than when No. 1 Ohio State plays No. 2 Indiana on Saturday.

This is the first time since its inception in 2011 that both teams enter the championship game undefeated with 12-0 overall marks and 9-0 conference records.

The closest comparison would be last season when top-ranked Oregon puts its perfect record against No. 3 and once-beaten Penn State. The Ducks won 45-37.

While the winner on Saturday will get the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State coach Ryan Day feels the loser should still be ranked among the top four.

“I think both deserve a first-round bye,” he said. “(But) I think it’s important to win this game and be the No. 1 seed. Everything matters.”

Counterpart Curt Cignetti is not so sure. He doesn’t feel the loser is guaranteed a top-four spot.

“I don’t expect any handouts,” he said. “We’ve earned everything up until this point and we’ve got to earn it on Saturday.”

That’s all from the team standpoint. On the personal level, the winner of the Heisman Trophy may be decided between quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza of Indiana and the Buckeyes’ Julian Sayin.

Mendoza has passed for 2,758 yards with 32 touchdowns and five interceptions. He will go against the best scoring defense (7.8 points per game) and total defense (203.0 yards) in the nation under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and led by All-American safety Caleb Downs.

“My job is to stick to the process against a fantastically-led defense by Coach Patricia and Caleb Downs,” Mendoza said. “We just need to stick to the process and stick to what’s gotten us to this point.”

Downs sees a leader in Mendoza, who has guided the Hoosiers to the second-best scoring offense (44.3) and No. 5 total offense (483.8).

“He can see the field well, which puts them in the right position,” Downs said. “Their running backs are running hard and their receivers are making plays.”

Sayin showed his mettle against Michigan last Saturday in the California native’s first game played in snow. After an incompletion and interception on his first two throws, he completed 19 of his final 24 for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-9 victory.

It helped that receivers Carnell Tate (five catches, 82 yards, touchdown) and Jeremiah Smith (3-30-1) returned from injuries just in time and will be available again Saturday.

Sayin has passed for 3,065 yards and 30 touchdowns against five interceptions while having the top completion percentage nationally (78.9%).

“I really respect Julian. He is so effective and he fits the offense perfectly,” Mendoza said. “Every QB prides himself on completion percentage and his completion percentage is out of this world.”

Ohio State has not won a Big Ten title since the COVID season of 2020. Indiana’s last championship came in 1967.

Day credits Cignetti in his second season at Indiana for the program’s rise to prominence.

“Look at what he’s done,” Day said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s put on the field. I mean, this is a really good team and it’s going to be a great atmosphere.

“I know our guys are looking forward to going to Indy. It’s been a long time. So, we’re going there to win the game against a great opponent.”

–By Craig Merz, Field Level Media

Signing day notebook: No. 1 WR Chris Henry sticks with Ohio State

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Chris Henry Jr., the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 class, signed with Ohio State on the opening day of the early signing period Wednesday.

The 247Sports composite also ranks the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Henry as the No. 10 overall player in the nation.

Henry had been committed to the Buckeyes since July 28, 2023, but recent chatter hinted he could flip to Oregon or Southern California. The departure of offensive coordinator Brian Hartline — he’s heading to South Florida as head coach — also increased the anxiety of Ohio State fans on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes flipped four-star safety Kaden Gebhardt of Lewis Center H.S. in Olentangy, Ohio, after he decommitted from Clemson.

Four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, however, decommitted from the Buckeyes and flipped to USC. He is a current teammate of Henry at powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif.

–Wide receiver Corey Barber decommitted from Ole Miss and followed head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU. The 247Sports composite lists him as the No. 25 receiver in the class.

The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver is from Clay-Chalkville H.S. in Pinson, Ala.

“The reason I chose LSU, firstly, is because I’m staying loyal to the guys who were loyal to me,” Barber told 247Sports. “Those are the guys who recruited me at Ole Miss. Also, the history that they have had with receivers is like no other. I want to be a part of that.”

–Field Level Media

Reports: USF hires Ohio State OC Brian Hartline as coach

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Brian Hartline is near a deal to become head coach at USF but is delaying formally filling the role until after No. 1 Ohio State competes in the College Football Playoff.

According to multiple reports, Hartline accepted the position on Wednesday and was hoping to convince co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey to join him in Tampa.

USF coach Alex Golesh was named head coach at Auburn on Sunday.

“Brian has been successful in every football capacity for which he has been engaged,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said in 2024.

Day said Hartline “recruited as well or better than anyone in the country” when elevated from a position coach to a co-coordinator role two years ago.

The 39-year-old Hartline was a wide receiver at Ohio State and seven seasons in the NFL, but has never been a head coach at any level. An assistant coach for the Buckeyes since 2017, he was promoted to become a first-time offensive coordinator prior to the 2025 season when Chip Kelly left to join the Las Vegas Raiders.

Hartline also continued his role coaching wide receivers. Under his watch, the Buckeyes have had five first-round NFL draft picks in the past four years – Chris Olave (2022), Garrett Wilson (2022), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023), Marvin Harrison Jr. (2024) and Emeka Egbuka (2025).

“Brian did some of his best coaching this past season,” Day said in February, when Hartline was promoted from the role of co-offensive coordinator to replace Chip Kelly. “His loyalty and patience are going to pay off, and I think he’s going to be the best coordinator in the country.”

Bailey was an offensive intern working with Ohio State’s wide receivers in 2017 when Hartline was hired as a quality control coach working with the same position.

Bailey has been an Ohio State assistant for eight seasons and is from Pompano Beach, Fla.

Losing Hartline, and possibly Bailey, could open the door for Day to bring back Kelly. Kelly coached Day at New Hampshire and they remain in close contact after the Raiders fired Kelly as offensive coordinator last month.

–Field Level Media

CFP rankings: Alabama, Notre Dame hold final at-large spots

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Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia and Texas Tech owned the top four spots in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night ahead of conference championship weekend.

Georgia and Texas Tech moved up a spot thanks to then-No. 3 Texas A&M’s loss to Texas last Saturday. Oregon and Ole Miss also rose a spot to Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, as the Aggies dropped to seventh.

The other movement of note involved Alabama and Notre Dame, which flipped places despite each team winning their regular-season finales — Alabama 27-20 at Auburn and Notre Dame 49-20 at Stanford — to post 10-2 records.

The Crimson Tide qualified for the SEC championship game and jumped from No. 10 to No. 9 past Notre Dame, which does not have a championship game to play in.

In his interview on the ESPN broadcast, CFP committee chair and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said the Alabama-Notre Dame debate has been strong among committee members for a number of weeks.

“This week as we looked at those two teams and how closely they have been over the past three weeks,” Yurachek said, “Notre Dame went on the road, had a strong win at Stanford, but Alabama went on the road in a rivalry game, looked really good especially in the first half … and I think that was enough to change the minds of a couple of committee members to push Alabama up ahead of Notre Dame in this week’s rankings.”

As it stands, the Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish are the last two at-large teams in the projected field. BYU, Miami and Texas are the first three teams outside the field. That’s because this week’s conference championship games will decide two automatic qualifiers.

The ACC (No. 17 Virginia vs. unranked Duke), the American (No. 20 Tulane vs. No. 24 North Texas) and the Sun Belt (No. 25 James Madison vs. Troy) don’t have teams ranked in the top 12. But the five highest-ranked conference champs — regardless of Power 5 status — are guaranteed berths, so the winners of two of those games will qualify for the playoff.

Unlike last season, which saw Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champ Boise State receive first-round byes, teams are only seeded by ranking and the four best conference champs are no longer guaranteed a bye.

Yurachek also assured that “Teams that are idle can move up or down,” meaning teams that are not playing in a conference title game are not necessarily locked in to their spot or their order in the rankings.

The final rankings and 12-team field will be revealed Sunday at noon ET.

CFP mock bracket
First-round games:
–Fifth-highest conference champion at No. 5 Oregon
–Fourth-highest conference champion at No. 6 Ole Miss
–No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Texas A&M
–No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
First-round byes: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Alabama
10. Notre Dame
11. BYU
12. Miami
13. Texas
14. Vanderbilt
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Virginia
18. Arizona
19. Michigan
20. Tulane
21. Houston
22. Georgia Tech
23. Iowa
24. North Texas
25. James Madison

–Field Level Media