Pinstripe Bowl Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Miami Hurricanes
Rutgers Just 1-4-1 ATS Over Last Six; Miami 3-5 ATS to End Season.
The Pinstripe Bowl kicks off this upcoming Thursday. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:
Here are the final updated odds and betting news for the 2023 Pinstripe Bowl between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Miami Hurricanes.
The timeline of this number has been volatile, to say the least after the Hurricanes opened as a -4.5-point favorite with a total of 43.5. At kick-off, the Scarlet Knights will be a slight favorite, around -2.5 with the total dipping two points to 41.5. 86% of the money wagered is on the Scarlet Knights along with 79% of the tickets. There’s reason for the drastic move in lines, so let’s go over the main reasons and how you should handicap this game.
First, we’re big on starting quarterbacks but sometimes there is an over-adjustment by the books because of an injury or transfer and the betting public eats it up.
For Miami, sophomore Jacurri Brown will get the start. Brown played in eight games last season with two starts but did not see the field in 2023. Brown was forced into action after starter Tyler Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin and Emory Williams suffered a compound fracture of his left arm last month.
That doesn’t mean it’s an automatic go-against situation. Two years ago, Brown completed 60% of his passes for 230 yards with three touchdowns and three picks. The element he brings that Rutgers will have to contend with is his mobility and we expect that to be on full display with some happy feat early on until Brown gets comfortable.
Rutgers will have their sophomore behind center, Gavin Wimsatt, who threw for just 137.6 yards per game in 2023 and has never completed more than 16 passes in a game and that was once at Wisconsin when his just 45.7% of his targets.
Only twice this season did he complete over 60% of his passes and four times he crawled over the 50% mark in 12 total games played. Bettors are relying on a terrific defense to stop the ‘Canes but perhaps pump the breaks, because if the Knights get behind they’re in trouble.
Now, check out the rest of the Pinstripe Bowl preview, originally published on December 8.
In a game where neither team is playing well something has to give from a betting standpoint. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6) lost four straight games after winning their sixth game to become bowl-eligible. Their signature win was at Wisconsin where they handed the Badgers a 24-13 loss despite being a 13-point dog.
Miami (7-5) was almost as bad after winning their sixth game, but a win at Boston College (45-20) to end the season stopped a three-game losing streak to give them their seventh win. College Football betting odds and lines show oddsmakers opening Miami as a 4.5-point favorite along with a total of 43.5.
Since then, that number has been pounded down to -2.5 and 41.5 with over 70% of the early money coming in on Rutgers. Most early College Football Bowl projection sheets are crumpled up at this point but there are still storylines in each game that will make for riveting television no matter how much the transfer portal tries to ruin our betting fun.
Pinstripe Bowl Information
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Miami Hurricanes 
Records: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6) vs. Miami Hurricanes (7-5)
Day/Time: Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Streaming: ESPN
Greg Schiano Has Put Rutgers On The Map
We talk about the coaching greats in College Football, but stop us when the name Greg Schiano comes up. The Rutgers head coach and New Jersey native is exactly what the Scarlet Knights football program needed when Shiano took over for the first time in 2001 and then again in 2020 after a cup of coffee in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ohio State as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
We won’t go back to his well-documented days under Joe Paterno at Penn State but before he arrived in Piscataway the Knights were part of just one bowl game before Schiano and that was in 1978. Since, Rutgers has appeared in seven bowl games under Schiano and three under Kyle Flood, but you argue that Schiano had his footprint on the Flood years too.
The Scarlet Knights won’t scare anyone on offense but their defense is ranked 19th in the nation, allowing 314.2 yards per game and just 175.9 yards through the air (11th in the nation) according to NCAA Football stats. Despite their success on the field, this is the third straight year that the Knights have failed to turn a profit for bettors and fourth in five years. Since 2019, Rutgers is 23-29-2 ATS overall and 14-25-2 ATS as a dog.
Departures & Injuries
We know that backup quarterback Evan Simon has entered the transfer portal along with depth offensive lineman Kamar Missouri who had four starts this season. Other than that the Scarlet Knights look to be in good shape as they are in the market to add more than lose. No significant NCAAF injuries to take into account when handicapping this game from the Rutgers side. We continue our Pinstripe Bowl Preview analysis by turning our attention to the Miami Hurricanes.
Hurricanes Roster Dying Down To A Tropical Depression
We like to wait until the next section to talk about the devastation that the transfer portal has caused. To handicap a team like Miami which has had 10 players announce they’re entering the transfer portal or declaring themselves for the NFL draft, it makes it hard to handicap a game like this when most don’t know who’s playing or how effective they’ll be. We should be focused on X’s and O’s as bettors but instead were left pretending that we know how good a player that has a start or two under their belt.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who worked closely with Schiano at Miami when Schiano was a defensive coordinator and Cristobal was a graduate assistant the late went with Schiano to Rutgers before returning to Miami in 20024. We know that Jacurri Brown will start at quarterback after the loss of Van Dyke and with freshman Emory Williams out with a season-ending arm injury. Brown did not play all season but is the only available QB on the roster.
The Hurricanes will still have the nations’ 11th ranked defense against the run to lean on, but as far as using regular season offensive numbers to get a gauge of how Miami will fare against Rutgers is an exercise in futility. At no other time has the phrase numbers only tell you where you’ve been, not where you’re going be truer.
The Hurricanes squeezed a profit out of playing FBS teams, but if you add their failure to cover against Bethune-Cookman (FCS) to start the year, Miami was in the red for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Hurricanes have had the most problems as a favorite since 2017 with a record of 22-37 ATS.
Against teams over .500 in that time, the Hurricanes are 10-18 ATS. It’s been a long time since Miami was in the college football national championship discussion and it appears like that won’t change any time soon.
Departures & Injuries
We’ve already talked about the departure of the ‘Canes starting and backup signal caller but there are a few others that will impact this game too. Defensive lineman Jahfari is out along with running back Don Chaney Jr. Thankfully for Cristobal, his remaining players have very little to worry about in terms of injuries. We conclude our Pinstripe Bowl preview with an early analysis and lean weeks before the game.
Running Game Will Be Paramount
We do know this as handicappers, the running game should be there no matter what. These teams have weeks to prepare their offensive lines and backs. Off a successful running game should come the ability to throw the ball, even if quick outs, slants, and screens. As the number continues to fall in favor of Rutgers, we think Miami will come out throwing to loosen up their superior run game.
Miami is in the top 40 of most major defensive categories and in our early opinion will use that to wear down a Rutgers team that has massive problems at QB even with their starter staying out. Gavin Wimsatt is completing less than 48% of his passes and has thrown eight picks to go with his nine touchdowns.
Right now we’ll take the ‘Canes but will wait to see where this number finally lands because at this rate we may be able to get points come kick-off. That does it for our early look at the Pinstripe Bowl preview, we wish you all the best with your bowl game wagers this season.
For NCAA bowl scores, betting odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
