Final bowl projections for the Miami Hurricanes

The Miami Hurricanes football program will learn its bowl game fate this afternoon.

UM finished the 2023 season with a 7-5 record and the Hurricanes will participate in its first bowl game since 2020.

Miami did not qualify for a bowl game in 2022 after a 5-7 showing. In 2021, the Hurricanes went 7-5 and earned a berth to play Washington State in the Sun Bowl under the direction of interim head coach Jess Simpson, but UM had to pull out of the game due to COVID-19 protocols.

The last time Miami played in a bowl game was at the end of the 2020 season with the Hurricanes losing to Oklahoma State, 37-34, in the Cheez-Its Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

So where could the Hurricanes go bowling in December? Here is the projections from various experts going into this weekend’s conference championship game slatet

• Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Sun Bowl (Dec. 29) Miami vs. Oregon State

• Brad Crawford, 247Sports: Sun Bowl (Dec. 29) Miami vs. Oregon State

• Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Sun Bowl (Dec. 29) Miami vs. Oregon State

• Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Pinstripe (Dec. 28) Miami vs. Rutgers

• Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Sun Bowl (Dec. 29) Miami vs. Oregon State

• Stewart Mandel, The Athletic: Pinstripe (Dec. 28) Miami vs. Rutgers

• Bill Bender, Sporting News: Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28) Miami vs. UCLA

• Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: Pinstripe (Dec. 28) Miami vs. Rutgers

• Bleacher Report: Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) Miami vs. Rutgers

• Erick Smith, USA Today: Gasparilla (Dec. 22) Miami vs. Georgia Southern

From a Miami Hurricanes perspective, there seems to be two scenarios at play: taking on Oregon State in the Sun Bowl or playing Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Beavers are coming off an 8-4 showing in 2023. Oregon State is dealing with a coaching transition with Jonathan Smith accepting the open head coaching job at Michigan State and the Beavers promoting defensive coordinator Trent Bray to the head job.

Miami has never played against Oregon State in football.

UM head coach Mario Cristobal is familiar with the Oregon State program dating back to his time as the head coach at Oregon. Cristobal posted a 3-1 record against the Beavers during his time there.

Rutgers is coming off a 6-6 season under the leadership of Greg Schiano, who has been a mentor to Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal. The Scarlett Knights finished the regular season losing four straight games.

UM played Rutgers annually from 1993 to 2003 as members of the Big East Conference. The Hurricanes went undefeated in those match-ups, posting an 11-0 record.

Over the past 15 years, Miami has won just one bowl game: a 31-14 victory over then No. 14 West Virginia in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl.

In this modern era of bowl season, roster management will play a key role in what any team looks like. The Hurricanes, for instance, are set to start sophomore Jacurri Brown at quarterback in what will be his 2023 season debut. Tyler Van Dyke announced his intentions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal this week and true freshman Emory Williams broke his left arm.

Plenty of other positions will need to be monitored as well with players looking to explore options in the portal and NFL Draft.

VIP Notes: Everything we learned about Miami’s transfer portal efforts on Monday

It was an active first day of the transfer portal for Miami and here is what we’ve learned so far

Today was the first official day of the transfer portal.

That means players who announced intentions over the weekend became available and the Hurricanes made some moves on prospects who could potentially help the program fill some needs. Here are some quick hitter notes on the day’s events from what we have gathered.

College football odds: Betting lines for every bowl game, New Year’s Six, Playoff matchup
The postseason betting lines came with a few surprises.

The final stanza of the 2023 college football season is near. Matchups for every bowl game, including the New Year’s Six showdowns and College Football Playoff pairings, are set and will unfold over the coming weeks. One of Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama will be crowned a national champion while numerous others have an opportunity to close their campaigns with one more victory.

Among the most intriguing non-Playoff games are the Orange Bowl between Florida State and Georgia, Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Missouri and Peach Bowl between Penn State and Ole Miss. Other games outside of the New Year’s Six promise to offer high entertainment value, as well.

Caesars Sportsbook released betting lines for every bowl game following Sunday’s selection process, and while the transfer portal, opt-outs, coaching changes and injuries figure to alter the landscape between now and kickoff, an early look at the spreads offers insight into which teams could reign supreme in their respective season-ending contests.

Here are the latest lines for every bowl game, including College Football Playoff matchups, during the 2023 postseason:

Myrtle Beach: Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (-2)

New Orleans: Jacksonville State (-3.5) vs. Louisiana

Cure: Miami (OH) vs. App State (-3.5)

New Mexico: New Mexico State (-3) vs. Fresno State

LA: UCLA (-2) vs. Boise State

UCLA is among numerous teams to enter bowl season without one of its top quarterbacks as former five-star recruit Dante Moore hit the transfer portal after one year with the Bruins. Chip Kelly’s offense sputtered through the season and now faces a sneakily difficult matchup in Mountain West champion Boise State, which elevated interim head coach Spencer Danielson to the full-time position after a tremendous conclusion to the regular season.

Independence: California vs. Texas Tech (-2)

Famous Toastery: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion (-1.5)

Frisco: UTSA (-9) vs. Marshall

Boca Raton: Syracuse (-3.5) vs. USF

Gasparilla: UCF (-4.5) vs. Georgia Tech

UCF clinched bowl eligibility in its first year as a Power Five program and now enters the postseason as a betting favorite over an ACC foe. That is a strong start to the new era of Knights football. Conference realignment also makes the Independence Bowl the final game for California as a member of the Pac-12.

Camellia: Arkansas State (-1) vs. Northern Illinois

Birmingham: Duke vs. Troy (-6.5)

Famous Idaho Potato: Georgia State (-2.5) vs. Utah State

Armed Forces: James Madison (-3) vs. Air Force

68 Ventures: South Alabama (-15) vs. Eastern Michigan

James Madison’s first year at the FBS level was among the most inspiring stories of the 2023 season. The Dukes rattled off 11 victories, and while they came up short of a New Year’s Six game and were ineligible for the Sun Belt Championship Game, they have a chance to play another high-end Group of Five squad with a 12th win on the line. That is about an incredibly strong building block for the program.

Las Vegas: Utah (-7.5) vs. Northwestern

Hawai’i: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (-9.5)

Quick Lane: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota (-5.5)

First Responder: Texas State (-5) vs. Rice

Guaranteed Rate: Kansas (-11.5) vs UNLV

The Las Vegas Bowl could be among the lowest-scoring affairs of the postseason as it pits two subpar offenses against each other and features a dominant defense in Utah. Meanwhile, Kansas and UNLV meet in a quietly very intriguing matchup. The Jayhawks took another step forward under prolific head coach Lance Leipold, but the Rebels were among the top Group of Five programs all season during a first-year breakout under new head coach Barry Odom.

Military: Virginia Tech (-6) vs. Tulane

Duke’s Mayo: North Carolina vs. West Virginia (-3)

Holiday: Louisville (-8) vs. USC

Texas: Texas A&M (-4) vs. Oklahoma State

Fenway: SMU (-10.5) vs. Boston College

Caleb Williams will not play in the Holiday Bowl, taking some of the shine off an otherwise interesting matchup between USC and Louisville. The Cardinals’ reeling offense goes head-to-head with perhaps the most disappointing defensive unit in college football, while the Trojans’ prolific offense squares off against a formidable opponent. Something has to give in that battle.

Pinstripe: Rutgers vs. Miami (-3.5)

Pop-Tarts: NC State vs. Kansas State (-4.5)

Alamo: Arizona (-3.5) vs. Oklahoma

Gator: Clemson (-7) vs. Kentucky

Sun: Notre Dame (-10.5) vs. Oregon State

Outside of the New Year’s Six matchups, the Alamo Bowl might be the most high-profile postseason contest. It is a top-14 battle between Arizona and Oklahoma — two teams that took major leaps forward early in their respective head coaches’ tenures. Jedd Fisch led the Wildcats to a third-place finish in the Pac-12 while Brent Venables guided the Sooners to a third-place standing in the Big 12.

Liberty: Memphis vs. Iowa State (-7)

Music City: Auburn (-2.5) vs. Maryland

Arizona: Toledo (-2) vs. Wyoming

ReliaQuest: Wisconsin vs. LSU (-10)

Citrus: Iowa vs. Tennessee (-7.5)

Jayden Daniels’ status for the ReliaQuest Bowl is unconfirmed, but should he suit up one final time for LSU, he could be a Heisman Trophy winner by that point. He is the betting favorite to win college football’s highest individual honor after a remarkable dual-threat regular season in which he racked up 4,946 yards of total offense and 50 total touchdowns.