The surging Miami (FL) Hurricanes will kick off Week 3 of the 2023 college football season when they host FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman in a Thursday night showdown. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The No. 22-ranked Hurricanes (2-0) upset the Texas A&M Aggies 48-33 in Miami last week and will attempt to keep their momentum going in Week 3. The Wildcats (1-1) earned their first victory of the season with a 31-6 home win over Savannah State, following a 56-14 loss to Memphis in their opener.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The Hurricanes are 41-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 56 in the latest Bethune-Cookman vs. Miami odds. Before making any Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman picks, be sure to see the college football predictions from SportsLine expert Tom Fornelli.
A CBS Sports writer since 2010, Fornelli has emerged as one of SportsLine’s most consistently successful college football analysts and is coming off another profitable season. He heads into Week 3 of the 2023 college football season on a 6-0 run on his against-the-spread college football picks.
What’s more, Fornelli is 20-6 in his last 26 picks involving Miami, netting a profit of nearly $1,500 to his followers on Miami picks alone. Anyone who has followed Fornelli has already seen massive returns.
Now, he has set his sights on Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Bethune-Cookman vs. Miami:
- Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman spread: Miami -41
- Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman over/under: 56 points
- BCU: Bethune-Cookman had two wins over FBS opponents in the past 20 years, both against FIU.
- MIA: The Hurricanes are 6-0 in this series.
- Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Miami can cover
One thing the Hurricanes are determined to avoid is overlooking Bethune-Cookman, because an emotional letdown could easily carry over into following games against tougher opponents.
The Hurricanes found this out the hard way last year in a sequence that ultimately defined their disappointing 5-7 first season under Cristobal. Following a competitive effort in a 17-9 loss at Texas A&M, the Hurricanes came out flat and lifeless in their next game against Middle Tennessee State. The Red Raiders posted a 45-31 upset in Miami as a nearly four-touchdown underdog, much to the dismay of Miami’s loyal followers.
At his first news conference this week, Cristobal was adamant that his team would not take this game likely nor use it as a glorified scrimmage of sorts to get inexperienced players more repetitions in a live setting.
“I think that’s disrespectful to football and to other teams,” Cristobal said. “We’re looking forward to a great opportunity Thursday.” See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Bethune-Cookman can cover
The Wildcats are in rebuilding mode under first-year coach Raymond Woodie Jr., a Bethune-Cookman alum who also played football for his alma mater. Woodie has been a successful high school coach at numerous Florida schools and has worked as an assistant coach at several Florida-based college programs. He hopes to use his connections in the state to find players who are willing to build a successful foundation alongside him at Bethune-Cookman.
The Wildcats will have some confidence coming off their victory of the season, a performance that saw a balanced effort on both sides of the ball. They used a committee approach to gain 125 rushing yards and five players had at least two catches each in the passing game, which netted 262 yards.
Bethune-Cookman has used two quarterbacks thus far, though junior Luke Sprague appears to be trending toward becoming the full-time starter. He saw most of the snaps against Savannah State and finished 23-of-29 for 223 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Bethune-Cookman vs. Miami picks
Fornelli has analyzed this matchup from every angle and he’s leaning Over on the total. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is at SportsLine.
Who covers in Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman? Visit SportsLine now to see the top Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman pick, all from the expert who is 20-6 on his last 26 picks involving the Hurricanes, and find out.
