TEMPE, Ariz., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- In a contest of the nation's only unbeatens, Miami and Ohio State play Friday night for the national championship of college football.
The two will play at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Az.
The defending champion Hurricanes have won 34 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in college football since Toledo won 35 in a row from 1969-71. They have won 24 straight games under Coach Larry Coker.
Miami (12-0) can become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Nebraska in 1994 and '95.
Ohio State is playing for its fourth national championship and first since 1968.
A win at Sun Devil Stadium inevitably will bring up talk of whether Miami can make a run at one of the great streaks in sports history -- Oklahoma's record 47-game winning streak from 1953-57. Coker grew up in the Sooner State at the time Bud Wilkinson was putting together a string of success often compared to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.
"Bud Wilkinson was one of my idols growing up," Coker said. "But playing one more game for the national championship is more important right now."
Miami arguably has been the best program in college football over the last two decades, winning five national titles, but this can be the first Hurricane team to win two in a row.
Ohio State (13-0) is looking to make its own claim to history. The storied program known for Woody Hayes and Archie Griffin has not won a national championship since 1968.
Jim Tressel, like Coker in his second year at his current job, will assure himself of a prized place in Buckeye lore with a win in Tempe. Ohio State also won national championships in 1942, '54 and 1957.
The Hurricanes have been installed as a double-digit favorite, and the question is whether they can be stopped when they are clicking on all cylinders.
Miami has rolled up 105 points and 1,121 points in its last two games, including a 56-45 triumph over Virginia Tech. Ohio State, by contrast, has scored less than 20 points in four of its last six games.
The Hurricanes have yet to score less than 26 points in a game, and feature the duo of Heisman Trophy finalists Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey.
McGahee, a sophomore, ran for 1,686 yards and 27 touchdowns. Dorsey came under criticism for not putting up huge numbers, but still threw for 3,073 yards and 26 touchdowns, and improved to 38-1 as a starter.
Ohio State has allowed just 12.2 points per game and close November wins over Purdue, Illinois and Michigan all came down to big plays on defense.
The heart of the OSU defense is linebacker Matt Wilhelm, who had 111 tackles and 16 1/2 for losses, and defensive backs Chris Gamble and Michael Doss. Gamble has started the last five games at flanker and cornerback.
Also, running back Maurice Clarett set a Buckeye record for rushing yards by a freshman with 1,190 yards.
A healthy Clarett takes some of the pressure off underrated quarterback Craig Krenzel, who threw for 1,988 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Split end Michael Jenkins is a big-play receiver who caught 57 passes for 1,031 yards and six scores.
"We respect Miami and we know they're a great team, but there's not a guy on this team who doesn't think we can't compete, who doesn't think we can't go out and win," Krenzel said.
Miami has lost all three of its trips to the Fiesta Bowl, most recently a 29-0 setback to Arizona following the 1993 campaign. The most notable of the visits was a 14-10 loss to Penn State on Jan. 2, 1987, with the national title at stake.
