The 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes and sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will both be looking to finish their respective 2017 campaigns in style when they square off in the 2017 Capital One Orange Bowl on Saturday, December 30, 2017. This affair of once legitimate championship hopefuls will go down live from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 8:00 PM ET while airing live on ESPN. Now, let’s find out which team is offering the best value in the Orange Bowl betting odds.
Hurricanes (10-2) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (12-1) 2017 Orange Bowl Betting Preview & Expert Pick
- When: Saturday, December 30, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: 560 AM (Miami) / 92.7 FM (Wisconsin)
- Live Stream: Watch ESPN
- Orange Bowl Betting Lines: Wisconsin Badgers -6.5 (Over/Under at 45 points)
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 19°C/67°F
- Humidity: 68%
- Precipitation: 7%
- Cloud Cover: 12%
- Wind: 6 mph NNW
- Stadium Type: Open
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Team Records
- Home: Wisconsin 7-1 / Miami 7-0
- Away: Wisconsin 5-0 / Miami 3-2
- ATS: Wisconsin 8-5 / Miami 5-7
- Over/Under: Wisconsin 7-6 / Miami 2-10
Why Bet on the Wisconsin Badgers Odds at -6.5?
Why bet on the Badgers in this contest? Because they’ve got an elite defense and have only been beaten once this season!
Wisconsin (8-5 ATS) came up just short of earning a berth in the four-team CFP by losing to Ohio State 27-21 in their Big Ten championship game matchup on Dec. 2. The Badgers average an encouraging 33.8 points per game (30th) and were absolutely phenomenal defensively as they finished third in points allowed (13.2 ppg).
Quarterback Alex Hornibrook completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,386 yards with 21 touchdowns but also tossed an interception in 10 of his 13 starts to finish with 15 picks overall, tied for the fifth-most in the country.
Hornibrook will need to careful with the ball against a Miami defense that forced a whopping 30 turnovers this season and introduced the ‘Turnover Chain’ which goes around the neck of whoever comes up with the takeaway.
“I think a lot of their takeaways are kind of team defense takeaways,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “A lot of their picks — whoever gets them is finishing that, but there is also pressure on the quarterback. They are playing fast and running to the ball. It’s a good defense.”
Wisconsin freshman running back Jonathan Taylor had a phenomenal season by rushing for 1,847 yards and 13 touchdowns while finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
“They have those athletic linemen, and they’ve got that guy in the backfield,” Miami linebacker Zach McCloud said. “He’s doing some nice things this season. He’s going to be a hard guy to tackle; gotta really wrap him up and drive through his legs.”
Why Bet on the Miami Hurricanes Odds at +6.5?
Why bet on the Hurricanes in this contest? Because they force turnovers like they’re going out of style and Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook looks vulnerable.
Miami (10-2 ATS) was sitting pretty as far as a berth in the four-team CFP was concerned – until they lost two straight to close out their season, including their 38-3 smackdown loss against Clemson in the ACC Championship game on Dec. 2. The Hurricanes average a solid, but not overly explosive 29.5 points per game this season (57th) and limit the opposition to just 19.9 points per game defensively (21st).
Quarterback Malik Rosier completed just 54.8 percent of his passes for 2,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions and struggled mightily in Miami’s two losses this season.
“I think his mental state is good,” Miami offensive lineman Tyler Gauthier said of Rosier after a recent practice. “You see him at practice today and he’s throwing darts. I mean, he’s having a good time out there. He’s making everyone go at a faster pace. You can see that leadership role is still really good and you can see he still has a competitiveness to him.”
Running back Travis Homer rushed for a team-high 902 yards and seven touchdowns as Miami heads into what is basically a home game for them.
“It means a lot,” defensive lineman Kendrick Norton said of playing at home. “Obviously, it’s going to be like a home game for us, so we will be comfortable. Miami hasn’t been (in the Orange Bowl) for a while, so we have a lot of pride in getting there and doing well.”
Latest Orange Bowl Betting Trends
- Badgers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
- Badgers are 13-1 SU in their last 14 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wisconsin’s last 6 games
- Hurricanes are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games
- Hurricanes are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Miami-FL’s last 10 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction
Malik Rosier struggled mightily down the stretch for Miami and I believe that the athletically0gifted, but still young, signal-caller is in for a long afternoon against Wisconsin’s powerful defense, which is why I’m going to encourage you to back the Badgers to win and cash in as a near touchdown favorite.
The Hurricanes are just 1-5 ATS in their last six bowl games and an uninspiring 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. On the flip side of the coin, Wisconsin has gone a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS loss, an even more impressive 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. While this is essentially a home game for the Hurricanes, I like Wisconsin to get the win and narrow ATS cover simply because they’re more mature and more consistent than Miami.
Orange Bowl Betting Pick: Wisconsin Badgers -6.5
