PINSTRIPE BOWL
Miami Hurricanes vs Wisconsin Badgers
The Game
Here we go!
The tension is PALPABLE. Two 7-5 teams square off at Yankee Stadium including YOUR Miami Hurricanes. We had higher hopes for the Badgers this season but sketchier-than-normal QB play combined with sub-par defense (by their standards) led to a disappointing regular season. Miami was flaky (again?) this year and won just two of their final six contests. Bottom line? Both teams were inconsistent and failed to meet market (and their own) expectations. Who can bag a bit of redemption?
The Details
Miami -3.5 Wisconsin (47)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Pick em
Sagarin Ratings – Miami -3
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Miami 25.25 Wisconsin 21.75
The Match-Up
Miami offense vs Wisconsin defense
Well, this has not been pretty, yo. N’Kosi Perry has done his best at QB but has been plagued by a decimated WR and TE corps. And the guys left? Well, let’s just say they are having a hard time catching the football. Not ideal. The Canes are ranked #92 in total offense and are having a really hard time getting anything done on a consistent basis. RB Travis Homer is approaching 1,000 yards on the season but the #1 WR left on the roster is Lawrence Cager (352 yards) and he is at best a #3 guy at the present moment. Watching these guys over the last half of the season it has become apparent that they lack an identity. Wisconsin has been a disappointment on defense. The Badgers have only managed to bag 18 sacks all season (42 last year) and are #5 in the Big Ten in yards per play allowed. They have shown some improvement in the latter statistic (#12 YPP Big Ten mid-season) but are still far from the stop unit we used to seeing on the field.
Wisconsin offense vs Miami defense
We have to be fair. The Badgers have also had some struggles on offense, particularly in the passing game. QB Alex Hornibrook has struggled with interceptions (11) but has managed to average 7.5 yards per attempt whilst dealing with a sub-par WR and TE group. The good news? RB Jonathan Taylor is not only on the all-MEGALOCKS team BUT also really close to hitting the seemingly-impossible 2,000-yard rushing barrier (1,989). As a team? The Badgers are averaging 6.3 yards per carry which ranks #4 in the FBS. Wisconsin has found it difficult to MATRICULATE down the field in the passing game (longest pass play all season long was 44 yards) and that might be a problem vs the #2 D in the FBS that only allows 23.7% conversions on 3rd down (#1 FBS).
Trends, Intangibles and More!
Did anyone say “weather”? Miami is a MUCH better team at home. And let’s not talk about the prospects of this team playing outdoors at Yankee Stadium on December 27th….It’s hard to believe but there is a lot of unhappiness in Miami Hurricanes land….What’s up with recruiting?….Do we have the right HC?……Why are players leaving the program?
Summary
This feels like a coin toss. If there is some bad weather? It seems to us that Wisconsin will have a big edge. Miami has struggled to find an identity on offense all season long and have wasted a really good performance from the defense.
Conclusion
Official play: Wisconsin +3.5