Who will Ohio State or Miami play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals

Who will Ohio State or Miami play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes begin their national title defense in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on New Year's Eve, facing a singular goal: win three games for the 10th national championship in school history. Standing in their way is the resurgent No. 10 Miami Hurricanes, fresh off a gritty road upset in the first round and energized by the belief that they can once again shock the college football world.

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This is the teams' first matchup since the national championship at the Fiesta Bowl in 2002, which saw the underdog Buckeyes defeat the heavily-favored Hurricanes in a controversial double-overtime thriller to win the BCS National Championship. Now, the teams face with a coveted berth to the same bowl on the line.

When the ball kicks off in Dallas, the stakes will be immediate: the winner gets to punch their ticket to the Final Four of college football, moving on to the CFP Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl to face the victor of two major programs in New Orleans. That game is the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, pitting the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs against the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC rematch.

Here's more on who the Cotton Bowl winner gets next, and the stakes of a potential semifinal showdown in Arizona.

MORE: Picks for the 2025 College Football Playoff quarterfinals

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College Football Playoff bracket 2026

MORE: Ranking the eight remaining CFP teams

Who will Ohio State or Miami play next?

The winner of the Cotton Bowl Quarterfinal -- whether it is the defending champion No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes or the resurgent No. 10 Miami Hurricanes -- will immediately punch their ticket to the CFP Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. That highly anticipated game will be a battle against one of the SEC's elite programs, specifically the winner of the Sugar Bowl Quarterfinal.

The next opponent for the Cotton Bowl victor will be either the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs or the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels. Georgia, the reigning SEC Champion, enters the Sugar Bowl with a 12-1 record, anchored by a dominant defense that recently shut down Alabama to secure their conference title. Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are seeking their third national championship in five seasons as the modern college football dynasty.

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The team standing in their way is the 12-1 Ole Miss Rebels, who enter the quarterfinal riding high after routing Tulane in the first round of the playoff. The Rebels, now under the direction of Coach Pete Golding, are looking for redemption in this SEC rematch; their only loss of the season came in a high-scoring 43-35 affair against Georgia back in October.

Whichever team emerges from the Sugar Bowl will carry a massive wave of momentum into the Fiesta Bowl semifinal against the winner of the Ohio State/Miami clash.

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