Heading into the CFP quarterfinals, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum already has his top 3 picks. Indiana, Ohio State, and Georgia. Ryan Day’s Buckeyes arrive as a 9.5-point favorite against Miami for the Cotton Bowl. But beneath that certainty sat something else. An interest in watching Ohio State tested while a familiar fan base absorbs collateral damage. 

“I also worry about or wonder about Ohio State because nobody’s really talking about them,” Paul Finebaum said on ESPN College Football on December 21. “I mean, how we assumed they were the best team in the country until we were proven otherwise… So, I don’t know how that plays into it.”

Then he pivoted, sharply. 

“I’d like to see Miami win it all just to shut Notre Dame fans up,” he added. 

That intent framed everything that followed.

Notre Dame’s omission from the final 12-team playoff became the accelerant. When the rankings were revealed, the Irish were out, despite spending weeks ahead of Miami in the standings. Neither team played during the final weekend, yet the committee flipped them anyway. That sequence ignited outrage. Fans did not argue Miami’s inclusion as much as the process that elevated them at the final moment. One fan summarized the frustration clearly, writing that the committee “dangled the playoffs in front of us for so long and then switched us at the last minute.” 

Another took it further, calling the playoff “ridiculous” for including teams like JMU and Tulane while leaving out Notre Dame, Texas, and Vanderbilt. That backlash created the environment Paul Finebaum thrives in. Miami became the symbol while Notre Dame became the grievance. That makes Ohio State the measuring stick.

Miami’s case did not quiet critics on the field. The Hurricanes’ quarterfinal entry point came after a 10-3 win over Texas A&M that raised more questions than confidence. The game was scoreless deep into the second half, defined by missed kicks and stalled drives. A 3-3 tie lingered into the fourth quarter. Even then, Miami did not score until the final two minutes, when Carson Beck found Malachi Toney on a short outlet that finally broke the stalemate. Everyone noticed it was survival and not dominance.

Ohio State, meanwhile, enters with a recent loss that still hangs over the program. The Buckeyes’ undefeated season ended in a 13-10 defeat to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. It was a defensive struggle marked by red zone failures, third-down inefficiency, and an inability to establish the run. Ryan Day called it a “tough lesson,” but Finebaum saw something else entirely. He pointed to turnovers and a missed field goal, noting that statistically, Ohio State played well enough to win. More importantly, he questioned whether the loss even rattled the head coach.

“Something deep down in Ryan Day right now tells me he’s not all that upset,” he said, suggesting the setback could sharpen focus rather than fracture confidence. 

That perspective reframed the loss as motivation especially for a team that has already proven it can respond to postseason doubt with titles. Which brings us to the question Paul Finebaum seems eager to have answered.

Can Miami fulfill Paul Finebaum’s wishes?

Miami’s path here has been uneven, but not accidental. The Hurricanes rebounded from a midseason slide by winning five straight games, stabilizing under Mario Cristobal’s leadership. After the Texas A&M win, he framed the moment simply. 

“Forty-plus days ago, we were lower than low and found a way to just bring a different level of energy every single day and lift each other and the program up,” he said. “And here we are with a chance to keep playing, and that’s all that matters now, 1-0.”

And they have a chance to repeat Ohio State’s national championship season. Miami finished the regular season 10-2, the same record Ohio State carried into the first expanded playoff last year before winning it all as the No. 8 seed. The opportunity is real but so is the obstacle. 

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The Hurricanes now face an Ohio State team that is 12-1, reigning national champions, and dominant in every game outside the Indiana loss. QB Julian Sayin threw for 3,323 yards, completed 78.4 percent of his passes, and finished as a Heisman finalist. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate combined for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns. Eleven of Ohio State’s wins came by at least 18 points. This is not a vulnerable roster.

If Miami wants to validate Paul Finebaum’s intentions and silence Notre Dame’s outrage, it must go through Ryan Day first. And that has been a losing proposition for almost everyone.