Rutgers vs Miami Prediction: Pinstripe Bowl Odds and Picks

Two teams that suffered through rough patches at the end of the season will get an opportunity to end on a high note when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Miami Hurricanes today in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Rutgers started strong but dropped its final four games in Big Ten play, all by double digits. The Scarlet Knights are still slight favorites in the college football odds over Miami, which also dropped three of its last four to end the year.

The Hurricanes have dominated this series historically, and they’d likely be favorites on Thursday if they were dressing their starting quarterback. I’ll look at how much that impacts this game in my free college football picks for Rutgers vs. Miami on December 28.

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Rutgers vs Miami best odds

Rutgers vs Miami picks and predictions

Outside of maybe the College Football Playoff, it seems like every postseason game is being impacted by transfers and NFL draft prospects sitting out bowl season. This matchup is no exception, as Miami will be without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who will be a Wisconsin Badger next season.

Van Dyke finished his junior year with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while throwing for 2,703 yards. However, it’s notable that he struggled during the heart of Miami’s season. In a stretch of five games — from playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 7 to visiting the Florida State Seminoles on November 11 — Van Dyke threw just five TDs against 11 INTs.

It would be silly to assume Miami won’t lose a beat without its starting quarterback. However, Van Dyke hasn’t proven himself to be a major difference-maker for the Hurricanes, so I can’t discount them too much without him in the lineup. 

In his absence — and with a season-ending injury to freshman quarterback Emory Williams — Jacurri Brown will get the starting role behind center on Thursday. Brown is a dual-threat QB who looked solid in limited action back in 2022, though he hasn’t seen any action this season.

Thankfully, Miami boasts a solid running game, with three different RBs averaging over five yards per carry and scoring at least five times this year. As a team, the Hurricanes are putting up 5.2 yards per rush, ranking 15th in the country.  

In other words, Miami will find ways to score points in this matchup. If that’s the case, Rutgers may struggle to respond. The Scarlet Knights are scoring just 22.6 points per game this year, while Miami is allowing just 22.1 points to its opponents. Matters were even worse for Rutgers late in the season, as it averaged just 11.5 points per game during its current four-game losing streak.

Rutgers has never beaten Miami. That’s a streak that will undoubtedly end someday, but Thursday doesn’t look promising for the Scarlet Knights. I expect the Hurricanes — a team that probably played to about the worst record it possibly could this season — to impose their will against a Rutgers squad that’s simply happy to be in a bowl game.

My best bet: Miami moneyline (+100 at bet365)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Rutgers vs Miami same-game parlay

Miami moneyline

Over 40.5

Gavin Wimsatt Under 162.5 passing yards

+750 at DraftKings

I don’t believe Rutgers will be able to stop the Miami offense from getting its fair share of points in this matchup. That’s why I’m not only taking the Hurricanes to win this game outright, but for these teams to hit the Over on the total of 40.5 points. Miami has played above this total in nine of its last 10 games, and even Rutgers has done so in four of six.

Along with those bets, I’m betting against Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. His passing yardage prop total has been set at 162.5 yards, which seems like a lot considering his lackluster season. In fact, Wimsatt has only hit that total in one of his last five games — and only made it to 165 yards in that contest.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Rutgers vs Miami spread and Over/Under analysis

Miami initially opened the Pinstripe Bowl as a 3.5-point favorite. That line has since flipped, with Rutgers now standing as the consensus 1.5-point favorite in this game. Some books have the Canes as slight favorites on this line — you’ll find the Scarlet Knights with -108 odds at some sites — while others have moved the line to Rutgers -1. 

Miami has gone 6-6 against the spread this season while Rutgers has been slightly better, going 6-4-2 ATS on the year.

The total for Thursday’s game opened at 42 points. The consensus Over/Under has now come down to 40.5, with most books posting both sides of the market at -110. You can also find the Over at -105 on some sites.

Neither team had a strong leaning on the total this year. The Over did go 7-5 in Miami games, while Rutgers went 6-6 in its contests. 

Rutgers vs Miami betting trend to know

Miami is 11-0 all-time against Rutgers. Find more college football betting trends for Rutgers vs Miami.

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