Cheez-It Bowl: Miami vs. Oklahoma State odds, preview, and pick

Miami running back Cam'Ron Harris. (Photo by John McCreary/Icon Sportswire)

December 21st, 2020

In the blink of an eye, we transitioned from regular season to bowl season in the 2020 college football year, and on Tuesday, Dec. 29 we'll enjoy our first matchup between ranked teams in the Cheez-It Bowl.

No. 21 Oklahoma State of the Big 12 will take on No. 18 Miami of the ACC, and the Cowboys are favored.

#21 Oklahoma State vs. #18 Miami

Miami is running out of steam

What once felt like a promising season for the Hurricanes turned into another late-season disappointment, as they faltered in their final game of the season.

Miami had a reasonable chance to play in a New Year’s Six game, if it finished 9-1, with its only loss to Clemson, but instead, the Hurricanes lost to North Carolina, 62-26, and finished their season at 8-2.

“The Run” #CarolinaFootball 🏈 #BeTheOne pic.twitter.com/BmRge0JGRY
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) December 13, 2020

They are 6-4 ATS this season but have become a one-dimensional on offense. The Hurricanes rank 71st in the country in yards per rush attempt. The defense, on the other hand, has been unsuccessful stopping the run and ranks 87th in yards per rush attempt allowed.

In its last game against North Carolina, Miami surrendered 778 yards and a remarkable 554 on the ground.

Oklahoma State is ready to pounce

The Cowboys will be without their star running back, Chuba Hubbard, who has opted out for the remainder of the season, but they seemed fine without him in their last game against Baylor, as backup Dominic Richardson racked up 169 yards and three touchdowns.

Dominic Richardson (@NicNic_00) had a crazy journey to get to #OKState. Really cool seeing him score his first college TD. #OKPreps https://t.co/I8aVlbWl56
— Nate Feken (@TheGreat_Nate) December 12, 2020

The Miami defense has only played two games in the last month and a half. One was a dominating win against a terrible Duke team and the other was the blowout loss to North Carolina.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy should be eagerly anticipating the opportunity to attack Miami’s questionable defense and continue his tradition against both the ACC and in Bowl Games. Oklahoma State is 4-0 against the spread in its last four bowl games, and Gundy's teams have averaged 31.7 points in those games.

Key to the game

Not only did the Miami defense look questionable in its most recent matchup against North Carolina, but star defensive ends Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche have chosen to sit out the bowl game to focus on the NFL Draft.

The Hurricanes are just 1-8 ATS in their last nine bowl games and have the look of a team limping to the conclusion of their season.