Life in Simulation: Ohio State vs. Miami

College football has once again returned to the virtual world in EA Sports College Football 26, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.

The game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.

Here are the results of our Cotton Bowl sim:

Ohio State 24 – Miami 17

In what began as a defensive battle, Miami scored the only points of the entire first half. They did so in explosive fashion, as running back Mark Fletcher Jr. — a former Ohio State commit — ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes could not get anything going offensively through the first two quarters, but came up just shy right before halftime. Facing a fourth-and-3 at Miami’s 4-yard line with 25 seconds to go, Julian Sayin attempted to scramble for the goal line, but came up just short as Ohio State turned it over on downs.

After OSU punted to begin the second half, it was again Miami getting on the scoreboard, this time with a 47-yard field goal by Bert Auburn to take a 10-0 lead.

Finally, Ohio State answered in a huge way on its next possession. On the very first play of the ensuing drive, Sayin found Jeremiah Smith for an 84-yard touchdown to close the gap to 10-7.

However, while the electric scoring play felt like it had flipped momentum, especially after the Hurricanes responded with a three-and-out, that surge would be short-lived. Sayin threw an interception on the Buckeyes’ next drive to set up an 8-yard touchdown from Carson Beck to CJ Daniels, and all the sudden Miami held a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Things looked bleak when Ohio State had to punt on its first possession of the final period, but Davison Igbinosun came up with perhaps the play of the game with an interception which he returned all the way to Miami’s 3-yard line. A quick Bo Jackson touchdown run made the score 17-14 with 7:35 left to play, and all the sudden it was a ballgame again.

It went from bad to worse for Beck, who threw yet another interception on the Canes’ next drive, this time to Caleb Downs. That takeaway set the Buckeyes up inside the red zone, and a short while later Jackson found the end zone from four yards out as Ohio State took its first lead of the game, 21-17, with 5:42 to go.

Miami’s ensuing possession stalled out pretty quickly, giving Ohio State the ball back near midfield with 4:12 left on the clock. A few short passes by Sayin set Jayden Fielding up for a crucial 39-yard field goal, pushing the lead to a touchdown at 24-17 with now only 2:10 remaining in the game.

Ohio State looked as though they were going to end it right there, as a Kenyatta Jackson Jr. sack set Miami up with a fourth-and-18, but Beck found CJ Daniels for a 25-yard completion to keep the drive alive. However, on the next set of downs, the Canes were stuffed on fourth-and-2 at the Buckeyes’ 48-yard line, and from there it was victory formation for Ohio State in a 24-17 victory.

Key Contributors

Ohio State (Offense)

• Julian Sayin: 26-of-36 passing for 237 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Bo Jackson: 9 carries for 33 yards, 2 TD
• Jeremiah Smith: 5 catches for 114 yards, 1 TD
• Carnell Tate: 3 catches for 48 yards
• Max Klare: 5 catches for 42 yards

Ohio State (Defense)

• Kenyatta Jackson Jr: 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
• Caden Curry: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
• Davison Igbinosun: 5 tackles, 2 INT
• Caleb Downs: 5 tackles, 1 INT
• Arvell Reese: 7 tackles, 1 TFL

Miami (Offense)

• Carson Beck: 13-of-32 passing for 127 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
• Mark FletcherJr.: 15 carries for 96 yards, 1 TD
• CJ Daniels: 5 catches for 88 yards
• Malachi Toney: 3 catches for 18 yards

Miami (Defense)

• Rueben Bain Jr.: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
• Armondo Blount: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks
• Ethan O’Connor: 2 tackles, 1 INT
• Wesley Bissainthe: 7 tackles, 1 TFL

Check back to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and if they win see how they fare in their matchup in the College Football Playoff Semifinalagainst Georgia or Ole Miss.