Michigan State vs Miami Picks and Predictions: Come at the King, Best Not Miss

Miami has had a rough start to its season, but facing two tough foes (including freaking Alabama) hasn't been a fair litmus test. Our Michigan State vs Miami picks tell a different story — one that's not too kind to the Spartans.

JD Yonke - Contributor at Covers.com
JD Yonke • Contributor
Sep 15, 2021 • 14:15 ET • 4 min read
D'Eriq King Miami Hurricanes college football
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Hurricanes will host the Michigan State Spartans in a non-conference battle on Saturday, September 17. 

It's an important game for Miami that may determine the course of their season after getting blown out by Alabama in the opener and narrowly squeaking out a win against App State last week. 

The Spartans, meanwhile, have started the season with two impressive wins and put their undefeated record on the line at Hard Rock Stadium. Will they be able to make it 3-0 and play spoiler on the road?

Check out our Michigan State vs Miami picks and predictions to find out.

Michigan State vs Miami odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Miami opened as a 7.5-point favorite at most sites, but the line has moved down to -6.5 as of the time of this writing.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

Michigan State vs Miami picks

Picks made on 9/15/2021 at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Best college football bonuses

If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021 college football season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:

USA: Risk-free bet up to $5,000 at Caesars. Claim Now

Canada: 100% matched free bet up to $400 at BetVictor. Claim Now

Michigan State vs Miami game info

Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV: ABC

Michigan State vs Miami betting preview

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key injuries

Michigan State: Anthony Russo QB (Questionable), Drew Jordan DE (Questionable), Elijah Collins RB (Questionable), Ricky White WR (Questionable)
Miami: Don Chaney Jr. RB (Out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Spartans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog. Find more NCAA betting trends for Michigan State vs. Miami.

Michigan State vs Miami predictions

Michigan State has looked like world-beaters through their first two games of the season, upsetting Northwestern in the opener and blowing out Youngstown State 42-14 last week. Their offense has been particularly impressive, scoring 40 points per game and ranking 10th in the country with 553 total yards of offense per contest.

However, it’s imperative to put those two games into context. Northwestern is one of the least-experienced teams in the country, returning only nine starters and losing key contributors on all three levels of defense. Youngstown State was an overmatched FCS school.

The Spartan run game that has rushed for 299 yards per game will find a much stiffer test against a Miami front seven that held Alabama to under four yards per carry in the opener.

Although Miami has been much-maligned for their start to the season, they’ve faced a superteam in Alabama and a squad that consistently takes down Power 5 competition in Appalachian State. What we have here is a case of recency bias in the line, as the Spartans have looked impressive against subpar competition while Miami has looked mortal against good competition.

Expect Miami quarterback D’Eriq King to find success against a beatable Michigan State secondary. Also, expect Michigan State’s rushing offense to stumble more than they have been against a solid Miami defensive front

We’re laying the points with the home team while the line remains under a touchdown.

Both teams should be able to move the ball and possess capable offense. As stated above, Michigan State has proved dangerous offensively by averaging 553 yards of total offense over their first two games. 

They appear to have found their answer at quarterback in Payton Thorne, have a great running back in Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III, and have two good wideouts in Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor.

Miami, meanwhile, will look to make an offensive statement here after averaging only 19 points per game over their first two contests. They averaged 34.0 points per game last year and return 10 offensive starters to that unit, so expect a return to the norm here. This Spartans defense is the most beatable unit they’ve faced so far.

NCAA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed our Michigan State vs. Miami picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our college football parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on college football odds?

You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NCAA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of college football prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.

Pages related to this topic

JD Yonke
Contributor

JD is a diehard college football fan with five years of experience writing betting and fantasy content for publications such as SportsGrid, Fantasy Points, Fantrax, and Devy Watch. An avid reader, he uses his inclination to look at things with an exhausting and in-depth, analytic viewpoint combined with a love for statistics and metrics to form a well-rounded handicapping approach.

e's an integral member of the niche (but growing!) college fantasy football community, twice traveling to Canton, OH for the Fantasy Football Expo as a member of the CFF King's Classic drafting squad. His specialization in college football DFS and prop betting taught him that there are exploitable markets to be found and that narrowing your focus is integral to being a profitable bettor.

A lifelong Californian who grew up playing baseball, basketball, football, and lacrosse, he's glad to share a passionate love for sports with this wonderful community.

Popular Content

Legal Canadian sports betting

Best Canadian betting sites Ontario sports betting
Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo