College Football Playoff quarterfinals 2025: Takeaways from every game

we opened college football playoff Quarterfinals with upsets. Early 14-0 burst and clutch, late touchdown drive, No. 10 miami number 2 removed Ohio State 24-14.

This is quite a tone-setter. The next three quarterfinals take place on Thursday — will we see more upsets ahead? Who is most poised to take advantage if the reigning champion loses?

Here are the primary findings from the quarterfinal round.

What just happened?

Miami combined steady and efficient offense with a 72-yard keyonte scott A pick-six for a 14–0 lead, and when Ohio State rallied to get within 17–14 in the second half, the Hurricanes responded with a five-minute, 70-yard touchdown drive to put the game away.

Miami’s defense dominated early. star is gone reuben ben jrAnd Achim Messidor Combined for three sacks in the first half, and Ohio State won on four of its first five drives. after julian sign Kill Jeremiah Smith For a 59-yard bomb in the second quarter, Scott attacked a Telegraph screen pass and took it to the other side for a score.

There was a tough fight in the second half. Ohio State established a solid run game and got a few more big catches from Smith – he finished with seven catches for 157 yards and a touchdown – and crawled back to within 17–14. But Miami dusted off North Dakota State transfer charmer brownOn his first six touches of the CFP, he gained 31 yards. After the Hurricanes completed third-and-4 and third-and-3 conversions, Brown scored from 5 yards out with 0:55 remaining. Jacobe Thomas‘The interception sealed the upset.

effect plays

Miami controlled the early rounds, but a Mark Fletcher Jr.Thunder prevented Keynes from moving up quickly, He made up for it with a 9-yard touchdown catch on a throw, carson beck A sneak, and Scott’s pick-six shifted the odds in the Hurricanes’ favor.

game

Miami stuns Buckeyes with 72-yard pick-six

Miami’s Keyontae Scott intercepts Julian Sain and takes it 72 yards to the Hurricanes’ home.

After cutting Miami’s lead to 17–14, Smith caught a big, 16-yard pass on third-and-15 as time expired with less than eight minutes left. But a holding penalty – the first allowed penalty of the entire game – forced the Buckeyes to punt. After a 53-yard punt was nullified by an illegal formation penalty, a short punt set up the Miami 30. The Hurricanes basically ended the game with a beautiful, 13-yard screen pass. cj daniels on third down (he shook the chains three times on third down), but Brown’s touchdown officially iced it.

See you next time, Buckeyes

Ohio State’s season was almost entirely geared toward another national title. The Buckeyes won a hard-fought victory against Texas in Week 1, then won their next 11 games by an average of 39–8. And while they lost to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, they were still beautifully prepared for a title run. Instead, they failed to offset the rising trend. In the first five quarterfinal games of the 12-team playoff era, teams that received first-round byes have fallen by scores of 14–0 (Boise State vs. Penn State), 34–0 (Oregon vs. Ohio State), 17–3 (Arizona State vs. Texas), 20–3 (Georgia vs. Notre Dame) and now, 14–0 (Ohio State vs. Miami). A first-round bye, along with a neutral site bowl, has yet to prove to be any kind of reward. Miami took on the rusty Buckeyes early and was rewarded for it.

Of course, Ohio State is in absolutely solid shape heading into 2026. Sine will return in 2025 after throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns (he had 287 and a TD on Wednesday night), and the key stars in the skill core – Smith and the running backs bo jackson (11 carries for 55 yards) — should also be behind. The Buckeyes are designed to compete every year in the 12-team playoff era.

Still, a missed opportunity is a missed opportunity. After looking like the best team in the country for 12 games, the Buckeyes ended 2025 with consecutive losses, and while Miami made this game a test of physicality and toughness, Ohio State could not respond appropriately.

what will happen next

After becoming the first double-digit seed to win a playoff game, Miami now also becomes the first to reach the semifinals. It was very much in doubt whether Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes would make the CFP, but they have made the most of the opportunity. They will play either Georgia or Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. The way their defensive line has been dominating, and with Beck’s excellent ball control – he threw for just 138 yards on Wednesday, but was 19 of 26 and almost never put the ball in harm’s way – the Hurricanes will have a chance to play against any team.

It was, quite simply, Miami’s biggest win since 2002. With many former Hurricane greats on the sidelines – from Michael Irvin to Ray Lewis to former coach Jimmy Johnson – the history of college football was very present in Arlington. And the Hurricanes managed to overcome both the ghosts of recent times and Ohio State’s talent to survive and move forward.