NCAA Football
2024-12-28 - Iowa State Cyclones at Miami Hurricanes
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Pop-Tarts Bowl
Saturday 28th December 2024 - Scheduled 3:30pm
8:30pm (British Time)
Preview
Most Mock Drafts have Cam Ward going potentially as high as the top ten in the next NFL Draft, but the Quarter Back is set to play for the Miami Hurricanes (10-2) one last time. After arriving from the Washington State Cougars, Ward has over 4000 passing yards and 36 Touchdowns this season for the Hurricanes and he has raised his NFL Draft stock significantly.
The disappointment of missing out on the College Football Playoff might have meant a number of the top Miami players would opt out, but the Hurricanes are keen to finish 2024 with a big performance.
They are facing the Iowa State Cyclones (10-3) in Orlando on Saturday and that should mean plenty of Miami fans have travelled to give the Hurricanes the feel of a home game.
It was almost a season that ended with a spot in the College Football Playoff for the Iowa State Cyclones, but they were blown out in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game to miss out to the Arizona State Sun Devils. Despite that, the Cyclones will be very proud of becoming the first team in school history to win at least ten games and key players look like they will suit up.
Rocco Becht has not had the same sort of numbers as Cam Ward at Quarter Back, but 22 Touchdown passes with 9 Interceptions deserves some respect. In this Bowl Game, Becht and the Cyclones Offensive unit will be facing a very tough Miami Defense that will be looking to prove they are much better than their final regular season outing would suggest.
The pressure will only ramp up on the Iowa State Quarter Back if the team are not able to establish the run, while Rocco Becht will have to respect the Miami Secondary. He has been well protected towards the end of the season, which should help give Becht a bit more time, but the Cyclones have struggled for consistency Offensively and that may be the case in this match up too.
Ultimately it has been the Defensive side of the ball that has helped Iowa State pile up the wins, although they will not have played too many teams with the quality of the Miami Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes Offensive Line should be able to move the Cyclones around up front and that should see the team keep Cam Ward in third and manageable spots on the field. Doing that will only make things very comfortable for a Quarter Back that is expected to be taken early in the next NFL Draft and Ward can sign off on his College career with another impressive game.
Run blocking has been important for Miami, but the Hurricanes have also been impressive in pass protection and they should be able to contain the Iowa pass rush.
Giving Cam Ward time can only make things easier for the Hurricanes and the feeling is that they can win this game by a decent margin, even if the team will still regret finding a way to miss out on a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Prediction
Lay the points with the ACC team playing in their home State.
The Pick :
Miami Hurricanes 34-24 Iowa State Cyclones
