Here is the Pickwatch BetSmart Preview for the Miami Hurricanes vs. Ohio State game in Round 2 of the 2025 College Football Playoffs.

Miami Hurricanes vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Game Info

Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
TV: ESPN/ABC

Miami vs. Ohio State Betting Odds

Point Spread
- Miami +9.5
- Ohio State -9.5
Moneyline
- Miami +285
- Ohio State -360
Total
- Over/Under 40.5

Season Betting Records

Moneyline
- Miami: 11-2
- Ohio State: 12-1
Against the Spread
- Miami: 8-5
- Ohio State: 10-2-1
Totals (Over-Under)
- Miami: 5-8
- Ohio State: 4-9

No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (11-2) vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) Preview

Ohio State–Miami is being priced like a grinder: a near-double-digit spread with a low total (40.5) suggests the market expects points to be hard to come by. That lines up with the broad shape of this matchup—two teams whose clearest path is winning with defense and field position rather than turning it into a track meet.

Miami’s case starts with defense: the Hurricanes have been allowing 13.8 points per game, and the general theme in previews is that they’ll need to win at the line of scrimmage and make Ohio State work for everything. The underdog script is pretty simple: shorten the game, steal a possession (turnover or special-teams swing), and force Ohio State to execute in the red zone instead of living on explosives.

On the other side, Ohio State’s story this season has been its elite defense (8.8 PPG allowed) and depth—one reason they’ve been installed as the biggest favorite of the four quarterfinals. If this becomes a third-down-and-red-zone game, that overall defensive efficiency is exactly what sportsbooks are leaning on when they hang a number like -9.5.

Because this game is at AT&T Stadium, weather is unlikely to be a true “game script” driver the way it can be outdoors (wind/rain). Arlington’s forecast is sunny and mild anyway (high around mid-60s). The bigger environment variables are usually travel/routine, crowd split, and how each team handles that long midweek bowl buildup.

The swing factors: (1) Miami’s ability to create negative plays without selling out, (2) whether Ohio State can manufacture explosives if the underneath throws and run lanes are tight, and (3) turnovers—because in a game projected this low-scoring, a single short-field score can break the math fast.

BetSmart Betting Rundown

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NOTE: All available bets are as of time of publication. Odds and lines change often, so be sure to check each subsequent Pickwatch betting tool for the latest numbers.

Arbitrage

Our Arbitrage Betting Tool is currently not identifying any arbitrage betting opportunities for guaranteed profit, but this can change several times daily, as odds change often. Be sure to check back throughout the day, or sign up for our BetSmart Notifications.

Middles

Our Middle Betting Tool is currently identifying 1 middle betting opportunity.

Positive EV

Our Positive EV Betting Tool is currently identifying 2 different positive expected value wagers, and provided data on the expected value percentrage, and how often the bet has hit in the last 5, 10 and 15 games.

Miami vs. Ohio State: Expert Picks

Visit our Expert Picks page to view picks and data from experts to see where the consensus is on the Miami vs. Ohio State moneyline, point spread and total points.