Canes underdogs in 2 of 3 games released by betting site so far
The Miami Hurricanes football team is 1-2 so far next season.
Well, that's according to ultra-early betting lines set by FanDuel.
So far three games are in the books, so to speak:
Miami's a 17.5-point underdog to Alabama Sept. 4, a three-point underdog at North Carolina Oct. 16 and a 12.5-point favorite at Florida State Nov. 13.
Alabama, of course,
And 'Bama hasn't lost a season-opening game since Nick Saban took over the reins in 2007 and averages winning its openers by more than 25 points in that span.
Alabama's openers in that time:
2007 - beat Western Carolina at home, 52-6
2008 - beat Clemson in Atlanta, 34-10
2009 - beat Virginia Tech in Atlanta, 34-24
2010 - beat San Jose State at home, 48-3
2011 - beat Kent State at home, 48-7
2012 - beat Michigan in Arlington, Tex. 41-14
2013 - beat Virginia Tech in Atlanta, 35-10
2014 - beat West Virginia in Atlanta, 33-23
2015 - beat Wisconsin in Arlington, Tex. 35-17
2016 - beat USC in Arlington, Tex. 52-6
2017 - beat FSU in Atlanta, 24-7
2018 - beat Louisville in Orlando, 51-14
2019 - beat Duke in Atlanta, 42-3
2020 - won at Missouri, 38-19
The Canes?
Well UM lost its opener two years ago against UF, 24-20, beating UAB last year, 31-14.
If the Canes have an advantage, it's that UM's only major losses are DEs Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche, TE Brevin Jordan and PK Jose Borregales.
Alabama, meanwhile lost six first-round NFL picks and 10 overall NFL draftees.
So the Crimson Tide has a lot of talent to replace compared to UM. But Alabama is still pretty universally picked to be the No. 1 or 2 team in the nation in preseason polls with the Canes lingering in the 15-25 range for the most part.
Moving on to the game against UNC, this could be a matchup that determines the Coastal champion with both teams generally considered the top two heading into the summer.
Last season Miami was thrashed thoroughly at home by UNC, 62-26. In that game the Tar Heels amassed 575 rush yards with 308 from Michael Carter and 236 from Javonte Williams. The good news from a Miami perspective is both those guys are gone. The bad news? Well, stellar QB and Heisman hopeful Sam Howell is back off a season in which he threw 30 TDs with only seven INTs, adding another five rushing scores. This year the team looks like it’s going to rely on Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler (25 starts for the Vols and 2,015 career rush yards) to help get the run game going … but it’s hard to think this will be near the level of the 1-2 punch UNC had last season. The team also loses top receivers Dyami Brown (1,099 yards) and Dazz Newsome (684 yards). But North Carolina has a solid O line and still has an excellent receivers room that is now led by Josh Downs (119 yards), who wowed this spring, Beau Corrales (238 yards) and Khafre Brown (337 yards). The offense might not be quite as talented, but it doesn’t have to average the 41.7 yards a game it did last year to win games. And that’s because the D should be decent after giving up an average of 29.4 points per game in 2020 … and that’s despite losing top tackler Chazz Surratt (91 tackles). It's a young, athletic D that has every starter back from its bowl game lineup.
So that game will be a challenge.
And then we move onto the game where UM is favored: Florida State. The Noles are a program in disarray after three straight losing seasons (5-7 in 2018, 6-7 in 2019 and 3-6 last year under Mike Norvell).
Are there signs of hope for Florida State?
Sure.
It was a young team last year and now has the benefit of a spring and summer. And there is talent on the roster. At QB Jordan Travis is the returning starter but UCF transfer McKenzie Milton could emerge as a big playmaker. And with a line that's supposed to be better the run game led by Jashaun Corbin should be more consistent. WR is a big question mark, though, with the top returner Ontaria Wilson (391 yards).
On defense this is a team that struggled to make plays in the backfield, so the Canes' offense should be able to put up a lot of points if the issues remain. FSU hopes Georgia transfer Jermaine Johnson (five sacks in seven games last year) can be a big impact off the edge, and South Carolina DL grad transfer Keir Thomas should also be a big boost. The leader at LB is back in Amari Gainer, and South Carolina transfer Jammie Robinson (started 13 games at safety last two years there) has experience and will work in at linebacker. DB could be an issue, especially if the front line doesn't get pressure, and corners Jarrian Jones, Akeem Dent, Jarvis Brownlee and Meiko Dotson are joined by UCF transfer Brandon Moore as the team tries to find suitable play. At safety Travis Jay and Renardo Green are returners.
So FSU does have some potential ... if the transfers come through and perform well.