Miami-Ohio State CFP quarter-final preview … The CFP quarter-finals get underway New Year’s Eve with #10 Miami facing #2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl with kick-off set for 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. And what a way for draft watchers to kick-off the New Year with a game featuring as many as 5 players with top ten potential for the upcoming draft including FS Caleb Downs (#2, 6-0, 205), LB Arvell Reese (#8, 6-3, 245) and WR Carnell Tate (#17, 6-2, 195) of the Buckeyes and DE Rueben Bain (#4, 6-3, 270) and RT Francis Mauigoa (#61, 6-5, 315) of the Hurricanes. Downs, Reese and Bain, tough, are not the only Buckeyes’ with first-round possibilities as LB Sonny Styles (#0, 6-4, 245) and rising DT Kayden McDonald (#98, 6-3, 325) each has some later first potential,has later first-round potential, while TE Max Klare (#86, 6-4, 245), rising DE Caden Curry (#92, 6-3, 260) and CBs Jermaine Matthews (#7,5-11, 190) and Davison Igbinosun (#4, 6-2, 190) are mid-to-late candidates. Of course, the one Buckeye that every NFL team would love to get their hands on is All-American sophomore WR Jeremiah Smith (#4, 6-3, 225), the consensus top prospect overall for the 2027 draft.
Meanwhile, Bain isn’t the only Miami DE to have a shot at being a #1 pick as fellow DE Akeem Mesidor (#3, 6-3, 265) is also the top-rated prospect for the CFL draft while he’s also worked his way into the second-day conversation for the NFL. At the same time, former Georgia star Carson Beck (#11, 6-3, 225) who has been solid enough replacing Cam Ward, the first player selected at the 2025 draft, at QB although he’s not going anywhere near where Ward went this past April. The Canes also feature a couple of other decent mid-to-late round candidates in CB Keionte Scott (#0, 6-0, 195), LB Mo Toure (#1, 6-2, 235), and DTs David Blay (#11, 6-3, 305) and Ahmed Moten (#99, 6-3, 325).
The other three CFP quarter-final games are scheduled for New Year’s Day with Oregon playing Texas Tech in the range Bowl at Noon ET on the 31st, followed by Alabama ad Indiana in the Rose Bowl at 4 PM ET and Georgia and Mississippi wrapping it up in the Sugar Bowl at 8 PM ET. All three games will be telecast on ESPN and we’ll have quick previews of who to watch early on Thursday.
