Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Miami Hurricanes OddsDecember 282:15 p.m. ETESPNRutgers OddsPoint SpreadOver/UnderMoneyline-2.5-11041-110o / -110u-140Miami OddsPoint SpreadOver/UnderMoneyline+2.5-11041-110o / -110u+115Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAF odds here.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Miami Hurricanes battle in Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

The Scarlet Knights return to this bowl for the third time in school history with a 6-6 overall record after dropping the last four games of the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes lost three of their last four and have many absentees in this contest to be aware of.

All of the motivation and roster moves favor one side in this matchup, but as we’ve seen in this bowl season already, those aren’t the only factors in deciding a winner at the betting window.

Check out our NCAAF Betting Hub for more college football previews, predictions, news and analysis.Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers has won six bowl games in its school history, and five of those have come with Greg Schiano leading the program as head coach.

This has been another solid season under Schiano, with the Scarlet Knights’ six regular-season wins being the most since going 8-5 in 2014.

It could have been a historic campaign had it not been for the late-season struggles. However, this may have come down to the difficult schedule to end the year. In the final four contests, Rutgers faced three top 25 opponents in Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State before ending the year against a bowl-eligible Maryland squad.

With a strength of schedule that ranked second in ESPN’s Football Power Index, this has been an impressive job by Schiano to finish this tricky schedule with a bowl trip.

Miami Hurricanes

After a difficult debut season, head coach Mario Cristobal has Miami back in bowl season with a 7-5 overall record. In a similar fashion to Rutgers, this was a year that started with great promise.

The Hurricanes opened with four straight wins, including a victory over a top-25 Texas A&M squad. However, they finished with just two more victories over the final seven contests.

If there's one positive, Miami didn’t lose to a team with a losing record.

With another top-five recruiting class coming in under Cristobal, you would expect the Hurricanes to continue improving toward being that powerhouse program it once was.

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Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Rutgers and Miami match up statistically:

Rutgers Offense vs. Miami DefenseOffenseDefenseEdgeRush Success6823Line Yards8010Pass Success11554Havoc620Finishing Drives70124Quality Drives5550Miami Offense vs. Rutgers DefenseOffenseDefenseEdgeRush Success62127Line Yards21100Pass Success4545Havoc1965Finishing Drives5446Quality Drives2736Pace of Play / OtherPFF Tackling748PFF Coverage1863Special Teams SP+323Middle 86419Seconds per Play30.3 (125)28.5 (96)Rush Rate62.9% (7)50.2% (89)Data via CollegeFootballData.com, SP+, Pro Football Focus and SportSource Analytics.Rutgers vs Miami

Betting Pick & Prediction

Without diving too far into the X’s and O’s of this matchup, this is a bowl game where you have to start with Stuckey’s tracker to sift through the many opt-outs and injuries.

The main thing that jumps out is the lengthy list for Miami. The Hurricanes will be without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and close to 10-plus starters in total.

So, my best bet is to take Rutgers on the moneyline at -115 odds at DraftKings, which I would bet to -130.

Outside of the missing key players, there's also a coaching mismatch here. Schiano boasts a 5-2 overall and against-the-spread record in bowls, while Cristobal comes in at 2-4-1 against the number.

I also have to question the motivation of this Hurricanes squad that came into the year intending to compete for a championship. On Miami’s website, most of the football coverage is about the 2024 recruiting class and schedule.

Meanwhile, this bowl game is the main story for Rutgers, which will also be playing just an hour away from campus.

For the total, I agree with the oddsmakers that this should be a low-scoring affair. Both squads are outside the top 90 in seconds per play and show more advantages on the defensive side of the ball.

I believe Rutgers is the better play in this matchup, but I don’t hate a look at the under as well.

Pick: Rutgers ML -115 (Play to -130)