DALLAS - The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1, 9-0 Big Ten Conference) arrived in Texas late Sunday evening to begin on-site preparations for their third consecutive Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic appearance.
 
The defending National Champion Buckeyes will face 10th-seeded Miami (Fla.) (11-2, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the 90th edition of the Classic in a New Year's Eve College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup at AT&T Stadium.
 
North Texas native, LB Payton Pierce of nearby Lucas, was home in the Dallas area during the Christmas break last week and is excited to play in a game near to his heart.
 
"Yeah, I'm super excited," Pierce said. "You grow up watching the Cotton Bowl, so it means a lot coming back and doing it again. It's a dream come true."
 
Another Lone Star state product, RB James Peoples of San Antonio, also is enjoying the prospect of being in his home state.
 
"It feels great to be back here in Texas," Peoples said. "I have a lot of family here. Back in a
familiar game, so I feel good about the combo and what we're going to do here."
 
Home-state familiarity aside, both players understand the task at hand. Miami's offense averages more than 32 points per game, a mark the Canes exceeded seven times this season. Pierce acknowledged his respect for the offensive unit.

"I mean, everything. They have a good run game. Quarterback (Carson Beck) is great. They did a great job against A&M. So we're just focused on us, trying to get better, and go out there and stop them."
Peoples recognizes the challenge the Miami defense presents. The Hurricanes rank sixth in the nation in scoring defense (13.0 ppg), and seventh in rushing defense (87.0 ypg).

"We've got to be able to get through the first level of those guys," Peoples said. "They've got some outstanding players on the front, so we've got to handle the movement there, and after that, it's just play ball."

The 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 90th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 6:40 p.m.

This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the 12th straight year. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek are set to the call the action from the booth with Quint Kessenich and Taylor McGregor reporting from the sidelines. ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the 12th consecutive year with Mike Couzens and Max Starks in the booth and Morgan Uber on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.
 
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