The second round of the College Football Playoff kicks off New Year’s Eve with Miami playing Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes, last year’s national champions, hope to rebound from a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten title game and make another run. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes come off a big win against Texas A&M in College Station during the first round of the playoffs and look to keep the momentum going.

The Draft prospects most at the center of attention

Indiana beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game by running the ball with Roman Hemby and finding ways to pressure Julian Sayin to make the quarterback uncomfortable.

It’s a blueprint the Hurricanes should follow in the Cotton Bowl.

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. basically carried the Hurricanes’ offense against Texas A&M, especially late in the game, and he was responsible for the game-winning drive with just minutes left.

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While the Buckeyes’ defensive front seven has more talent than the Hurricanes’ prior opponent, Fletcher is a much more skilled back than Indiana’s Hemby.

Ohio State will need to load the box with linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles to stop Fletcher and challenge Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck to beat them.

The Ohio State offensive line must find a way to slow down Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, the best 1-2 pass rushing punch in the nation.

Bain is expected to be a top-10 pick in April’s draft, while Mesidor, who has a history of injuries, will be a Day 2 selection if his medicals come back clean.

Prospects with the most to gain

This game could be on the shoulders of Beck for Miami, the once-highly-regarded NFL prospect who has fallen from grace due to poor decision-making and bad throws.

Beck transferred from Georgia after a lackluster 2024 campaign and the large NIL contract offered by the Hurricanes.

The sixth-year senior has played relatively well this season, completing 74.5 percent of his throws for 3,175 yards and 26 TDs. Still, the 10 interceptions he’s thrown are a red flag, and the way Miami took the ball out of his hands and gave it to Fletcher during the game-winning drive against Texas A&M was telling.

Beck will be staring at five potential first-round prospects when he lines up against Ohio State. Linebackers Reese and Styles, as well as safety Caleb Downs, all project in the top half of Round 1.

Reese and Downs will be early picks. Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald fits into the back half of Round 1, while defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is not far behind.

Beck has his work cut out for him against the Buckeyes.

Underrated prospects to watch

Hurricanes cornerback Keionte Scott, another sixth-year senior who came to Miami by way of Auburn, has been a pleasant surprise and one of the best transfer players on the team.

He’s been a complete defender for Miami, finishing third on the team with 54 tackles and adding five sacks while breaking up five passes and intercepting one. He’s been well-liked in the scouting community the past two years, but he has his work cut out for him against Ohio State, which lines up a pair of first-round picks at receiver.

Junior Carnell Tate, whom I’m told will enter the draft, will battle to be the first receiver selected next April.

Sophomore Jeremiah Smith, who is not draft-eligible, finished sixth in the Heisman voting earlier this month and is expected to be a top-five pick in 2027.

Scott, who has been nicked up recently, will be counted on to slow up whichever receiver he stands across from.

Prospect I expect to have the biggest game

Sayin looked shaken in the Big Ten title game with the pressure the Hoosiers laid down. He struggled getting the ball to his receivers, who finished the game with 12 combined receptions.

Enter Buckeyes tight end Max Klare, a Purdue transfer who came up big earlier in the season when Ohio State was dealing with injuries at the receiver spot.

Klare is a terrific pass-catching tight end and is reliable and smart. Considering the pressure that Sayin will be facing from Bain and Mesidor, and the limited time he’ll have to throw the ball, he’ll be looking for a sure-handed underneath pass catcher.

That will be Klare, who projects as a top-100 selection.