Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Miami Hurricanes Betting Picks

The 7-3 Oklahoma State Cowboys will meet the 8-2 Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night in the Cheez-It Bowl at 5:30 PM ET in Camping World Stadium. This is a stellar game and one of the best bowls to this point. The Cowboys come in as 2.5-point favorites and we’re expecting plenty of points with a 58.5 over/under. You can tune into the matchup on ESPN. Let’s dive into how this game will go and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of our CFB Picks and Predictions as we will have every single bowl game covered.

• Cowboys are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Hurricanes are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
• Under is 4-0 in Cowboys last 4 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
• Under is 7-0 in Hurricanes last 7 neutral site games as an underdog.

The Cowboys have been extremely up and down this season, and they lost three of their last six games to finish off the season. If we’re hunting for a silver lining, all three L’s were to quality opponents and they have taken down a very talented Iowa State team. If Oklahoma State wins this game, they must jump on Miami early and grab a lead. The Hurricanes play a tough brand of football and won’t be easy to retake a lead from.

Offensively, Oklahoma State is led by sophomore QB Spencer Sanders, who’s been more up and down than the Cowboys as a team. He’s up to 1,702 yards and 10 scores through the air with eight interceptions on top of 224 rushing yards and two more TD’s. When Sanders is playing well, he’s a dual-threat QB that can attack in a multitude of ways. When he’s having trouble, he’s a turnover machine.

The biggest help to Sanders is his plethora of weapons and it starts with WR Tylan Wallace on the outside. He’s up to 53 catches for 877 yards and six touchdowns and is one of the best receivers in all of the country. Halfback Chuba Hubbard entered the season with as much hype as anyone, but has dissapointed as the third most efficient back on the team. Both Dezmon Jackson and LD Brown have averaged over a yard more per carry.

After a regular season in which the Hurricanes lost to only the Clemson Tigers, they were crushed by nearly 40 points against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the final game of the season. The offense never fully caught a rhythm and the defense was overwhelmed from the first drive of the game onward. If Miami wants any shot of winning this game, the defense has to step up and force turnovers. They also can’t allow 554 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. It’s certainly possible against an Oklahoma State offense that turns the ball over as much as anyone in the top-25 and doesn’t have a consistent offense.

When Miami has the ball, everything runs through QB D’Eriq King. Halfback Cam’Ron Harris is just over 500 yards on the season and responsibilities have drastically moved towards King in the second half of the season. He’s thrown it for 2,573 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions on top of 520 rushing yards and five more scores. King is one of the best players in the entire country and he’s a threat to take over any game. His top target when dropping back is Mike Harley, who’s up to 49 catches for 730 yards and six touchdowns. He’ll play a big part in keeping up with the OKST offense.

The Hurricanes didn’t look very good in their last game against the UNC Tar Heels, but it’s not like the Cowboys have been great either in three of their last six. They’ve lost to worse teams than UNC and I expect Miami to come out and give one last statement in an otherwise phenomenal 2020. D’Eriq King will be the best player on either side of the field and he’s going to give the Oklahoma State defense fits. Spencer Sanders has turned it over far too often and the Canes defense constantly hunts for turnovers. It’s hard to get impressed about what Oklahoma State has shown from game one. I like the Miami Hurricanes to win this game by around a touchdown and am loving getting the 2.5 points.

Neither of these offenses are necessarily prolific. They would love to be, but both squads seems to always be avoiding the big mistake. Both defenses are solid and nothing will come easy. This is going to be a phenomenal game and I do expect a scoring drought or two. I would rather bet Miami against the spread as it’s a bet I am far more confident in. Give me the under here in what will be a close call.