As the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes and the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes prepare to face off in the quarterfinal round of this season's College Football Playoff, people are slightly confused about the mentality that Buckeye fans have taken ahead of the game.
Despite being the much higher seed, despite being favored by nearly 10 points, and despite being the defending National Champions, Ohio State has approached this game with a very strange underdog mentality.
"All I've heard all week is Ohio State doesn't belong on the same field as Miami," JBook wrote on X as an Ohio State media member. "Miami supposedly has the better DL, OL, better defense. Toney is better than Jeremiah. Better run game, better coach, better QB. OSU haven't played anyone and they're slow and soft."
Ohio State playing the underdog role
Why would a team that is as close to the top of the nation as one can get without actually being No. 1 choose to play the underdog?
Especially when the said non-underdog underdog is about to take on a team that eked out its spot in the playoffs, and is a long-lived rival. Of course, in response to fans like JBook, Miami fans are ripping the Buckeyes to pieces.
Even Kevin Clark, a sports analyst for ESPN, couldn't keep himself from responding to JBook, pointing out (in complete sarcasm) just how ironic the underdog mentality was for Ohio State fans.
A genuinely amazing tweet from Ohio State media. https://t.co/9lGkLmEJjF
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 28, 2025
To put it bluntly, the Buckeyes need to get over themselves and step into the role as one of the top teams still left in the Playoff. Yes, the Miami Hurricanes are a dang good team, but that does not take away from how good Ohio State is.
Also read: Miami football's CFP title odds are a slap in the face to Mario Cristobal and players
On New Year's Eve, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes are scheduled to kick off the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 7:30 p.m. ET.