Ohio State and Miami don’t meet often, but when they do, the games tend to linger in college football history.
The Buckeyes and Hurricanes will face each other for just the fourth time when they meet Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal that revives one of the sport’s most debated and emotionally charged matchups.
Despite decades as national powers, Ohio State and Miami have rarely shared the field. Miami holds a narrow edge in the all-time series, but the most famous meeting belongs to Ohio State — and remains one of the most controversial games ever played.
The 2003 Fiesta Bowl: A Classic That Still Divides Fans
The defining chapter of the rivalry came in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, played for the 2002 national championship.
Ohio State entered as a heavy underdog against a Miami team riding a 34-game winning streak and loaded with NFL talent. The Hurricanes appeared poised to secure back-to-back titles until a late pass-interference call in the end zone extended the game in overtime, a ruling that is still argued more than two decades later.
Ohio State capitalized, winning 31–24 in double overtime to claim its first national championship since 1968. Craig Krenzel’s leadership, Maurice Clarett’s breakout performance, and the disputed flag became permanent fixtures in college football lore.
For Miami fans, the call represented a stolen title. For Ohio State, it was the program’s modern rebirth.
Earlier Meetings Set the Tone
The teams’ first meeting came in the late 1970s, when Miami was still emerging on the national stage. The Hurricanes won that matchup, setting an early tone for what would become a reputation as a program unafraid of traditional powers.
Miami also defeated Ohio State in a regular-season meeting in the late 1990s, during the Hurricanes’ climb back toward national prominence under Butch Davis. That game reinforced the stylistic contrast that has long defined the series — Miami’s speed and swagger versus Ohio State’s physicality and depth.
A New Era, Same Stakes
This Cotton Bowl meeting marks the first time the programs have faced each other in the College Football Playoff era, with both teams arriving in Dallas shaped by modern realities — the transfer portal, NIL, and expanded postseason access.
Ohio State enters with a roster built on elite recruiting and playoff experience, while Miami returns to the national spotlight behind renewed investment and a push to reclaim its place among the sport’s elite.
What hasn’t changed is the weight of the uniforms or the memories attached to the matchup.
History Meets the Present
With a semifinal berth on the line, the Buckeyes and Hurricanes will add a new chapter to a rivalry defined less by frequency than by significance.
For Ohio State, it’s another chance to reinforce its status as a playoff constant. For Miami, it’s an opportunity to settle old arguments — or at least start new ones.
Either way, when these two meet, history has shown the result rarely fades quietly.
