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Some of the main cast members have changed over for the Buckeyes and some have stayed the same. Arvell Reese, a consensus top 5 2026 NFL Draft pick says this trip is old hat for him and some of his teammates.
The old adage is familiarity breeds contempt. However, the last time the Buckeyes lost a game before their College Football Playoffs run began, they ended us national champions. The first game on what they hope will be a repeated journey is against the University of Miami (FL).
It is rare that OSU sees a team across from them that stacks up very well in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Miami (FL) has 1st round talent on both lines and will not be overwhelemed by any stretch of the means at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The perfect medicine for Ryan Day and his team was playing a team who may present similar problems as IU did in the B1G Championship game with their different pressures against a battled OSU offensive line. Ryan Day is now calling the plays for the Playoffs and his no.1 priority is going to make sure Julian Sayin has time to throw the ball all around the field.
The no.2 priority HAS to be finding different ways to get Jeremiah Smith the football. It’s Playoffs time and every single game from here on out 4 will be the best player on the field. Somehow he’s bigger, stronger, and faster this year.
I don’t mean to not speak a lot about Miami (FL) skill players, but this game isn’t about OSU vs. Miami (FL). Miam (FL) absolutely has talent, but OSU is better at almost every single position unit.
Miami (FL) at Ohio State (-9.5). The Pick: Ohio State 27 Miami 10
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Can Miami pull off another upset to advance to the CFP Semis? Are the Buckeyes poised to defend their title?
The Hurricanes counted on their defense, holding the Aggies to just 3 points on the road, and their run game to move on to the quarterfinals. Mark Fletcher Jr ran for 172 yards while Malachi Toney had just five catches, but snagged the biggest of his young career with less than two minutes to score the game’s only touchdown. I don’t expect Miami to be able to win this game with 10 points, so those two, and Carson Beck, will have to be great to take down the defending champs.
The Buckeyes are the number one defense in yards per game, number two in passing yards per game and number five in rushing yards per game. The dominant defense mixed with the absolute elite talents of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Bo Jackson could prove to be too much. This is Julian Sayin’s first CFP game as the starter of the program, is he ready for the moment? If the game comes down to his arm, can he make the plays necessary?
Miami (FL) at Ohio State (-9.5). The Pick: Ohio State 31 Miami 17
As a co-founder of Multiplicity Media, it's an honor to be able to showcase some of the best talent creating sports and entertainment content. I am the host of Chaos and Conversation, Kicking' It With The Brothas, and Mike of All Trades.
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