Miami to reach College Football Playoff picked as a good bet

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Miami football program as the Hurricanes have a roster that should be good enough to win the ACC Championship and reach the College Football Playoff this season.

ESPN gambling insider Joe Fortenbaugh is buying into the hype and believes that betting on Miami to reach the College Football Playoff ahead of the 2024 college football season is a good bet.

Miami is entering Year 3 under Mario Cristobal and could be ready to make some noise following a couple of average seasons.

“Miami’s a team I’m high on – plus-210 for the playoffs,” Fortenbaugh said recently on the Always College Football podcast. “I think Florida State is down this season, so there’s going to be an opportunity.”

Miami does have some challenging games, including its opener against Florida in The Swamp. Fortenbaugh expects that to be a tough game, but overall he feels good about the Hurricanes.

“You’ve gotta survive the Swamp in Week 1, which is going to be a tough game. If you’ve been watching that line, any time it touches Miami -3 on the road, immediately there’s buyback off that key number with everyone grabbing Florida,” Fortenbaugh said. “So the pros are going to be on Florida +3. Inside of that there might be a few people lining up on Miami at less than a field goal.”

Regardless of what happens Week 1, Fortenbaugh expects Miami to get through its schedule and reach the CFP for the first time ever in 2024.

Other tough potential games for the Hurricanes include Virginia Tech and at Louisville. Fortenbaugh isn’t completely sold on Mario Cristobal, but he likes the schedule and the roster Miami has.

“I think they can navigate the season, but you’ve gotta trust Cristobal there,” he said. “You’ve gotta trust the late-game scenarios for Mario Cristobal, and that’s where he came up short last season. So that’s something to keep in mind.”

Cristobal finished 5-7 in Year 1 at Miami, before going 7-5 this past season. The hope around the program is that Year 3 will see the Hurricanes take a sizeable jump and become ACC contenders. 

Miami has put together an incredibly talented roster on paper ahead of the 2024 college football season. The Hurricanes brought in some difference makers out of the transfer portal this offseason, including quarterback Cam Ward, and they also return plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball.