ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1, 9-0 Big Ten Conference) held a walk-through practice Tuesday afternoon to conclude on-field preparation for their College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The defending National Champion Buckeyes will face 10th-seeded Miami (Fla.) (11-2, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the 90th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve.

For Ohio State, a postseason appearance in The Classic at AT&T Stadium has become another legendary chapter in Buckeye tradition. OSU will play here for the third season in a row, becoming the first team to play in three straight Classics since Texas A&M played in the 56th, 57th, and 58th Classics in 1992-94.

Overall, Ohio State owns a 3-1 record in four Classic appearances – 51st (28-12 win over Texas A&M), 82nd (24-7 win over Southern California), 88th (14-3 loss to Missouri) and 89th (28-14 win over Texas).
While the Buckeyes look to win back-to-back national championships, the starting lineup is very different from a year ago. Ohio State returned only eight of 22 positional starters (five offensive, three defensive) from the 2024 team. Those numbers aside, Head Coach Ryan Day said this year's roster embraced the opportunity that the 2025 season presented.

"We all talked about the inexperience of this team, but then quickly realized it was a mature team that grew into the role," Day said. "They're the ones that have led the way and built confidence as the season has gone on. They made it pretty clear ten months ago they wanted to make history. And so, it's all been a build to this point right here. We've got to trust our training and all the work that we've put in up to this point and go put it on the field."

The Hurricanes and Buckeyes are meeting for the fifth time in the history of their storied programs. The series is tied at 2-2 with Miami boasting a win in the most recent meeting, a 24-6 home victory on Sept. 17, 2011. Ohio State defeated the Hurricanes 31-24 in double overtime in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game played at the 32nd Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. on Jan. 3, 2003.
 
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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