The hype for New Year's Eve's Cotton Bowl matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes reached a new level when star Buckeyes wideout Jeremiah Smith decided to publicly send a warning to the Hurricanes.
Smith took a swipe at the Hurricanes, citing the double-overtime BCS National Championship which the Buckeyes prevailed 31-24 in Jan. 2003.
“You see it all over the internet, all over Twitter. They’re still talking about that 20 years later, they’re still worried about it,” Smith told reporters.
It appears Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal isn't "worried," but rather disappointed about the narrative Smith proposed Monday.
The same day, Cristobal countered with a firm, yet stoic reminder: the past doesn't always dictate the future, while sportsmanship also exists.
"I have too much respect for the game of football, having played it, to just openly just come out and speak about other teams,” Cristobal said. “To each its own, I don’t judge. I don’t. Different programs have different ways of doing things. It’s not part of our culture. Always respect your opponent, always prepare to the highest standard humanly possible.”
It's unclear if the back-and-forth will boil over once kickoff arrives, but if the game needed any extra juice, it's out in the open.
Now the focus is going to likely shift back to the gridiron as the Buckeyes try to prevent the Hurricanes from keeping their momentum afloat.
Only time will tell.