Miami beats defending champ Ohio State 24-14 in Cotton Bowl quarterfinal

Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes won’t be the school’s first back-to-back national champions, and the College Football Playoff still doesn’t have a winner from teams with the first-round byes.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes won’t be the school’s first back-to-back national champions, and the College Football Playoff still doesn’t have a winner from teams with the first-round byes.

No. 10 Miami held on for a 24-14 victory in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal Wednesday night, bouncing the No. 3 Buckeyes a year after they won four CFP games on the way to the title.

Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 2 seed) trailed 14-0 at halftime, but was within three at 17-14 after Smith’s 14-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-2 early in the fourth quarter.

Smith, the All-America receiver, ended up with 157 yards on seven catches, including a 59-yarder that didn’t lead to points in a scoreless first half for the Buckeyes.

The sluggish first half meant Smith’s shiny second half wasn’t enough as Ohio State finished the season with two losses following a 12-0 start. Top-ranked Indiana beat the Buckeyes 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game.