Miami pulls biggest upset in College Football Playoff history with 24-14 win over Ohio State

More than 20 years after it was on the opposite finish of one of many biggest upsets in BCS history, Miami pulled off the biggest upset of the College Football Playoff period on New Year’s Eve.

The No. 10 Hurricanes beat No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the semifinal spherical of the playoff. Miami was a 9.5-point underdog at kickoff. Before Wednesday night time, the biggest upset in playoff history — in both the four-team playoff or the present 12-team format — was Ohio State’s win over Alabama as a 7.5-point underdog on Jan. 1, 2015.

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After Ohio State’s offense confirmed indicators of life in the second half, Miami put the Buckeyes away very like they did Texas A&M — with an influence run recreation. The Hurricanes gave the ball to Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown 5 instances over the course of six performs earlier than a large receiver display to CJ Daniels acquired Miami contained in the Ohio State 10-yard line with lower than two minutes to go.

As Ohio State had only one timeout remaining after utilizing its second following Daniels’ catch, all Miami needed to do was bleed as a lot clock as potential to forestall the Buckeyes from having any actual shot on the win.

Instead, Ohio State appeared to let Brown rating a TD with 55 seconds remaining. The rating gave the Hurricanes a 10-point lead, however Ohio State wanted as a lot time as potential.

The last-ditch plan, predictably, didn’t work out. Julian Sayin was intercepted with 43 seconds to go.

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Who would be the first workforce with a bye to get a win?

A yr in the past, all 4 groups that had first-round byes in the primary 12-team College Football Playoff misplaced. Now, Ohio State has stretched the streak to 0-5.

Last season, all 4 groups with first-round byes have been underdogs on the time of kickoff. This yr, Ohio State was the biggest favourite of the second spherical.

It had been almost 23 years since a favourite as massive as Ohio State had misplaced a BCS title recreation. In January of 2003, Miami was an 11.5-point favourite over the Buckeyes in OSU’s legendary 31-24 win.

Wednesday night time, Miami had a 14-0 lead at halftime. The Hurricanes scored first after which flipped the sport on its head when Keionte Scott scored on a pick-6 as Ohio State regarded prefer it was about to tie the sport.

Less than a month after being the final workforce into the College Football Playoff area by advantage of leaping forward of Notre Dame in the ultimate CFP rankings, Miami now awaits the winner of Georgia vs. Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl forward of the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8.

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Could Miami QB Carson Beck find yourself going through his outdated workforce? Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami after he suffered an elbow harm on the finish of the 2024 season.

There might be a brand new nationwide champ

Ohio State’s loss implies that there received’t be repeat nationwide champions for the second time this decade. Georgia turned the primary workforce since Alabama in 2011 and 2012 to repeat with titles on the finish of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ohio State was the favourite to affix the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide as the one repeat champs of the 2000s.

Instead, the Buckeyes now have offensive questions. Again.

Yes, actually.

With offensive coordinator Brian Hartline off to be the pinnacle coach at South Florida, coach Ryan Day took over the play-calling duties for the CFP. The final time Day known as performs was the 2023 Cotton Bowl. Ohio State scored three factors in that 14-3 loss to Missouri.

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Day ceded play-calling duties after that season and employed UCLA coach Chip Kelly to run the offense. Kelly’s arrival in Columbus helped result in a nationwide championship earlier than heading off to the NFL and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Hartline took over because the offensive coordinator in 2025, however his successor now as a result of a giant variable for the Buckeyes in 2026. Yes, Ohio State’s offense regarded higher after the primary 25 minutes of the sport. But 17 factors in the final 120 minutes Day has known as performs is unacceptable for a lot of Ohio State followers.

But even with Hartline calling performs in the Big Ten title recreation, Ohio State solely mustered 10 factors in opposition to Indiana. The Buckeyes’ two worst offensive video games of the season got here in their last two video games of the season. Whether it was accidents on the offensive line, or schematic edges that Miami and Indiana had found out over the course of the season, Ohio State’s offense didn’t appear like the machine it had for a lot of 2025 in December. And that finally value the Buckeyes an opportunity at back-to-back nationwide titles.