The 2025 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Preview features the 11-2 Miami Hurricanes and the 12-1 Ohio State Buckeyes. Here is the 2025 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Preview.
Miami won 12 games to make their first College Football Playoff. They defeated four bowl-eligible teams in the regular season: Notre Dame, USF, NC State and Pitt. Both of their losses, to Louisville and SMU, were to teams that made bowl games. They defeated Texas A&M on the road to advance to the Cotton Bowl.
The Hurricanes score 32.2 points per game, ranking 29th in the country. They pass for 262.5 yards (ranked 32nd) and rush for 151.9 yards (ranked 76th) per game.
Carson Beck transferred to Miami from Georgia and has played well, but did struggle in the first CFP game against Texas A&M. He has passed for 3,175 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 74.5 percent completion. Three players have over 350 receiving yards for the Hurricanes. Malachi Toney has been a game-changer as a freshman with 89 catches for 992 yards and eight touchdowns. Keelan Marion and CJ Daniels have also been solid with 590 and 420 receiving yards, respectively.
Three running backs have over 350 rushing yards on the season. Mark Fletcher Jr. has been the starter, putting up 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. CharMar Brown ang Girard Pringle Jr. have chipped in with 389 and 363 yards apiece.
Defensively, the Hurricanes give up 13.0 points per game, ranking sixth in the country. They allow 194.5 passing yards (ranked 30th) and 87.0 rushing yards (ranked seventh) per game. Mohamed Toure has the team lead with 62 tackles. Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. make a solid pass-rushing duo with NFL potential, with 8.5 and 7.5 sacks apiece. Jakobe Thomas has made plays in the secondary with four passes defended and four interceptions.
Ohio State won 12 games to make their second-straight 12-team CFP. They defeated seven bowl-eligible teams during the regular season: Texas, Ohio, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Penn State and Michigan. Their lone loss was to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Buckeyes’ offense scores 34.9 points per game, ranking 18th in the country. They rush for 162.8 yards (ranked 63rd) and pass for 266.8 yards (ranked 25th) per game.
Julian Sayin has been the first-year starter for the Buckeyes at quarterback as a redshirt freshman. He has passed for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and six interceptions on 78.4 percent completion. Five players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver in the sport, tallying 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns. Carnell Tate has shown his NFL potential with 48 catches for 838 yards and nine touchdowns.
The running game hasn’t been a strong suit, but four running backs have over 300 yards on the season. They have a star in freshman Bo Jackson, who has rushed for 1,035 yards and five touchdowns this season. James Peoples, CJ Donaldson and Isaiah West have 344, 330 and 310 yards, respectively.
Defensively, the Buckeyes concede 8.2 points per game, ranking first in the country. They allow 129.1 passing yards (ranked first) and 84.5 rushing yards (ranked fifth) per game. Sonny Styles has made plenty of plays and has 81 total tackles. Caden Curry has 11 sacks, while Arvell Reese has been a game-changer with 6.5. Davison Igbinosun has made plays on the ball in the secondary with six passes defended and two interceptions.
Miami’s offense didn’t look great against Texas A&M. Ohio State’s defense can limit them and their offense should be able to attack the Miami secondary. Ohio State will likely be focused after losing to Indiana.
Ohio State Buckeyes 28 Miami Hurricanes 10
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