UAB at Miami – College Football Predictions
The Game
It’s time for YOUR Miami Hurricanes to take the field after a disappointing 2019 campaign in which they lost seven games, including the last three of the year vs FIU, Duke, and Louisiana Tech. UAB got an early start to this season and come into this game fresh off a WEEK ZERO win over Central Arkansas (W 45-35). The Blazers and talented, and they are nasty. Can they stroll into Miami and SHOCK the WORLD?
The Details
Miami -16 UAB (48)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Miami -13
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Miami 32 UAB 16
The Match-Up:
Miami offense vs UAB defense
The Hurricanes were impossibly pathetic on offense LY (#98 FBS total offense) but made a pair of yuuuuge additions in the offseason. QB D’Eriq King is a legit star at the QB position and his dual-threat capability will be utilized to the MAX by new OC Rhett Lashlee who orchestrated a deadly offense at SMU. The ground game was non-existent LY and the hope is that Cam’Ron Harris or one of a few highly-touted frosh can blossom as a #1 RB. The offensive line returns all five starters but note that they allowed 51 (!) sacks a season ago. King’s mobility will help in that regard. The WR group is stocked with raw talent but it remains to be seen how deadly they can be. TE Brevin Jordan is a legit weapon. UAB has put together back-to-back EXCELLENT seasons on D (302, 299 YPG L2Y) and yielded 293 in their opening win over a good FCS squad. Their defense is strong vs the run and the THROW GAME and they are adept at getting heat on the QB (92 sacks L2Y, two in week zero this year).
Miami will be LOADS better on offense this year but this is a stern challenge in week one. The implied team total looks about right, and they’ll probably need help from defense and/or special teams to exceed 32 points. It’s hard to imagine Miami will show too many cards in non-conference play.
UAB offense vs Miami defense
The Blazers were inconsistent on offense LY and injuries played a major role. They are talented and healthy and put up a 45 BURGER in week zero vs Central Arkansas. QB Tyler Johnston had a fine game to kick off the season and backup Bryson Lucero got some work. The rushing attack features a legit star in Spencer Brown (24-127, TD week zero) and solid depth. The WR group is talented and note that 9 different Blazers caught a pass vs Central Arkansas and they didn’t allow a sack in 34 attempts. Miami was set to have one of the most devastating pass rushes in college football before star DE Gregory Rousseau opted out of the season. They are still strong up front but lost some serious star power at LB and will be without six of their seven top tacklers from LY. Not unlike the offense, the Miami D is CHOCK FULL of raw talent in the stop unit but it’ll be interesting to see how quickly they gel this year. This isn’t an easy task to start the year and the Blazers have enough talent to hit their implied team total.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
Miami is 12-12 ATS as home chalk L4Y…UAB is 5-6 ATS as a road dog since the program REBOOT in 2017…..UAB DB Kenondre Swoopes became the first FBS player to ever wear the #0 during the win over Central Arkansas…..Long range weather for Miami…..Shocker…..Warm and likely rain / thunderstorms….We’ll keep you posted….Check the weather updates in the forum for the latest forecasts from our weather hotties.
Summary
Will Miami overwhelm them with raw talent? Does UAB have an advantage with one game in the books OR will they have fatigue late in this warm-weather battle? The Blazers are legit and the number looks a bit high to us. No idea HOW much better Miami will be early on so it feels like a small wager is the max for us.
Conclusion
Lean: UAB +16.
Note:
‘Official play’ implies we have played the game for our standard wager amount.
‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game if you need action. < but always stay tuned for updates >
‘Slight lean’ implies we are very likely to avoid the game and/or total from a betting standpoint even for ‘small potatoes’. We give an opinion for those who need some sweet action and want advice.
‘No leanage’ implies we won’t be involved in that market.