The Miami Hurricanes, fresh off beating Texas A&M, are in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to take on the National Championship favorite Ohio State Buckeyes. The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday from Arlington, TX, and can be viewed on ESPN.
Ohio State enters this game on 25 days of rest, giving its roster ample time to get healthy. Their most notable injury is OL Tegra Tshabola, who is listed as doubtful. The Canes list just four players on their availability report.
Below, we'll cover a Miami vs. Ohio State spread prediction for the Cotton Bowl, as well as some CFP quarterfinal trends to monitor with PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks.
Miami vs. Ohio State Over/Under, Spread for Cotton Bowl
Ohio State opened as 8.5-point favorites vs. Miami. Since then, they have moved to 9.5-point favorites on PrizePicks Team Picks.
The Buckeyes return a 1.25x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright. Miami is the underdog with a 3.57x payout if they win.
The over/under total opened at 43.5 and has since dropped to 39.5 on PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Ohio State Buckeyes -9.5 (1.88x payout)
- Over/Under: 39.5 (1.72x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Miami 3.57x | Ohio State 1.25x
Team Picks payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Miami vs. Ohio State Prediction on Spread for CFP Quarterfinals
Let's dive into a Miami vs. Ohio State spread pick for the CFP quarterfinals. Use PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to make predictions and earn money if you’re right.
- Miami has the nation’s fourth- and fifth-rated EDGE defenders in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, via Pro Football Focus. They figure to line up against LT Austin Siereveld and RT Phillip Daniels, the nation’s ninth- and 139th-ranked OTs.
- When Ohio State QB Julian Sayin releases the ball in less than 2.5 seconds, he has an elite PFF grade of 90.2, top six in FBS. Miami is second in sacks and pressures within 2.5 seconds.
- The Canes' offense line owns PFF's third-best pass blocking grade at 86.8. QB Carson Beck has the third-fastest time to throw at 2.33 seconds.
- Those two factors led Miami to get pressured on just 15.8% of dropbacks, leading the nation by a whopping 5.2%. On throws within 2.5 seconds of the snap, the Buckeyes are 19th in pressure rate at 20.4%.
- Ohio State primarily opts for zone and counter run concepts on offense. Miami’s defense is top 10 in success rate against those runs, however, at 63%.
- With the total sitting at a meager 39.5, special teams could prove to be the difference tonight. Miami ranks 12th in Special Teams SP+ compared to Ohio State, who's 63rd.
Make Miami vs. Ohio State Picks on PrizePicks
Miami vs. Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl kicks off what could be a very entertaining CFP quarterfinals.
As the Hurricanes aim to take another step towards winning their first national title since 2001, the Buckeyes try to work their way to becoming only the second team ever to win back-to-back championships in the CFP era.
You can make picks on the winner, spread, and over/unders for the CFP on PrizePicks Team Picks. Just pick your side, lock in your pick, and earn money if you're right — now in 30 states, including California. Additionally, predict More or Less on player stat projections with PrizePicks.
Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, and news all season long.
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