The Miami Hurricanes and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats clash Saturday in week 1 college football action from Hard Rock Stadium. Bethune-Cookman is fresh off a rough 2-9 overall campaign in 2021. As for Miami, they went 7-5 overall but ultimately had to bow out of the Sun Bowl at the end of the year. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Bethune-Cookman had a forgettable campaign in 2021, going 2-9 overall and 2-6 in SWAC play. That result left the Wildcats in the basement of the East Division, a full six games behind the undefeated (in the SWAC) Jackson State.
B-CU started out the year on an eight-game losing streak to UTEP, UCF, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, SC State, MS Valley State, Prairie View A&M and Jackson State. After wins over Alcorn State and Grambling State, the Wildcats fell to Florida A&M to finish things off.
Over on the Miami side, they had a bit of success here and there in 2021, ultimately finishing 7-5 overall and 5-3 in ACC play. The Hurricanes landed in second place in the Coastal Division standings with that mark, behind only Pittsburgh at 7-1.
Miami’s season was looking bleak after a tough 2-4 start, but the Hurricanes rattled off wins in five of their last six games—including victories versus NC State and Pittsburgh. Miami was selected to participate in the Sun Bowl versus Washington State, but had to pull out due to positive virus tests.
PICK: I’m likely going to stay with Miami, but not touching it. The Hurricanes really need to get better in the running game and with turnovers this year. They’ve addressed some of those issues in the offseason, bolstering the offensive line and pulling Ole Miss RB Henry Parrish from the transfer portal. Receivers-wise, top guy Charleston Rambo is off to the NFL, but the incoming Frank Ladson headlines a talented group. In short, Miami has the tools to be a solid offensive team in 2022. That being said, the defense (especially the line) is going through some major changes this year and it’s anyone’s guess what they’ll look like. The good news is that Miami starts out with a manageable opponent in week one, so we’ll see.