2025 Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs No. 2 Ohio State Odds, Spread, and Total
Experience meets ambition Wednesday night, with Ohio State's title defense crossing paths with Miami's long-awaited return to the postseason conversation. The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN, with a College Football Playoff semifinal berth on the line at AT&T Stadium.
The Hurricanes (11-2) enter their first CFP appearance riding a five-game winning streak, capped by a 10-3 road win at Texas A&M in the opening round. Quarterback Carson Beck has thrown for 3,175 yards and 26 touchdowns, while wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. have added balance to the offense. Miami's defense has limited explosive plays late in the season, led by edge rushers Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain.
Ohio State (12-1) arrives as the defending national champion and the No. 2 seed, fresh off a bye and narrow loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship. Quarterback Julian Sayin has piloted one of the nation's most efficient offenses, completing more than 78 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns. A deep skill group led by receiver Jeremiah Smith supports Sayin, while linebacker Sonny Styles and edge rusher Caden Curry anchor the Buckeys defense.
Spread
- Miami +9.5 (-105)
- Ohio State -9.5 (-115)
Money line
- Miami +317
- Ohio State -333
Total
- Over 40.5 (-115)
- Under 40.5 (-105)
Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Miami vs Ohio State Betting Trends
- Miami is 8-5 against the spread and scores 32.23 points per game.
- Ohio State is 10-2-1 against the spread and averages 34.92 points scored per game.
- The total has gone under in seven of Miami's past 10 matchups.
- The total has gone under in four of Ohio State's last five games.
- Miami is winless against the spread in its past six games against a Big Ten opponent.
- Ohio State has won nine of the last 10 games when playing as the favorite.
Miami vs Ohio State Injury Reports
Miami
- Damari Brown, DB — Out
- Malik Bryant, LB — Out.
- Daylyn Upshaw, WR — Out.
- Donta Simpson, DL — Out.
Ohio State
- Malik Hartford, DB — Out.
- Quincy Porter, WR — Out.
- Mason Maggs, QB — Out.
- Logan George, DL — Out.
- Ahmed Tounkara, DL — Doubtful.
- Tegra Tshabola, OL — Doubtful.
- Shawn Lodge, WR — Questionable.
Miami vs Ohio State Predictions and Picks
"Miami should present Ohio State with arguably its greatest challenge on both lines of scrimmage, boasting elite pass protection and a dominant pass rushing alignment that will apply more pressure than Julian Sayin has been used to facing most of the season. But the firepower that the Buckeyes field at the wide receiver position should prove the decisive advantage in addition to a third-down defense that ranks second in the country and has proven to come up with critical stops at the right moment. Ohio State wins 27-24." — James Parks, Sports Illustrated
"This is a trickier matchup for Ohio State than the spread seems to suggest ..... Even if Miami's offense struggles again, I believe the Canes will hang around here .... Miami's defensive line could legitimately be the best one Ohio State has seen, and I'm expecting it to cause a lot of problems. I don't know if the unit can win this game by itself, but I don't know that it can't, either. I have Ohio State winning, but not nearly as comfortably as the spread suggests." — Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports
"Ohio State will win, but it will be much closer than this 9.5-point spread indicates. Miami has a strong defense and loads of talent at the skill positions. The Buckeyes are just better, and playmakers like Jeremiah Smith will be the difference at the end of the day. I'm sure Mario Cristobal will screw something up, too .... It feels like Miami is more likely to win this game outright than Ohio State is to win it by double digits." — Andrew Caley, Covers
