Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information.
Our “Ugly Underdog” column stayed hot thanks to Michigan State’s ho-hum cover against Indiana in Week 8. Trailing, 35-10, after the third quarter, Sparty and the Hoosiers both elected to put the game into neutral with a 3-3 fourth stanza. We’ll take it and move on to Week 9, where we look to run our record to 7-2 with a fade of The U.
Let’s go back 11 months.
The Miami Hurricanes were undefeated with a Heisman-caliber quarterback leading the charge.
Nobody in the ACC seemed close to the Hurricanes, who were 9-0 and set to march into the College Football Playoff thanks to a light schedule that saw them face Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse to close out the campaign.
Alarm bells started ringing after a loss to Georgia Tech, but Miami set itself back on the path by crushing Wake Forest.
Syracuse was all that stood in the way of the Hurricanes and a trip to the ACC Championship, where they’d face SMU.
We know how this ends.
Miami blew a 21-0 lead to the Orange, wrecking a once-promising season, and putting some heat on head coach Mario Cristobal, who already had a reputation for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
To their credit, Cristobal and Miami didn’t seem to carry any demons into the new season. Carson Beck slotted in brilliantly for Cam Ward at quarterback, and Miami boasted NFL-ready players all over the field.
The Hurricanes handled Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida and Florida State, earning the right to be ranked No. 2 in the country heading into a Friday night showdown with Louisville.
Stanford head coach Frank Reich. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Miami got caught by the Cardinals, ending its five-game win streak and putting their postseason aspirations, be it in the ACC or College Football Playoff, in serious jeopardy.
The pressure will be on the Hurricanes from here on out as they look to quell any fears that Cristobal has them up to their old tricks.
Betting on College Football?
A date with Stanford is just what the doctor ordered.
Or is it?
The Cardinal were projected to be terrible in 2025, with most pundits picking them to foot the table in the ACC.
A loss to Hawaii in Week 0 had plenty of college football folk talking about a potential winless campaign. Hard to blame them.
But Frank Reich, yes, that Frank Reich, has Stanford relishing the spoiler role. The Cardinal have turned themselves into a respectable outfit over night, scratching out wins over Boston College, San Jose State and Florida State.
There were some drubbings against BYU and Virginia mixed into that mix, but the point is that this team is much vexatious than anybody thought they would be in Year 1 under Reich.
Stanford has plenty of wind in its sails as it heads to South Beach, where Miami is waiting as 30.5-point favorites.
And while Stanford will look at this game like its very own Super Bowl, it is a classic lookahead spot for the Hurricanes.
Miami knows that it can beat Stanford without getting out of first gear, and they may opt to stay there in order to be fresh for what’s to come on the other side of this weekend.
A trip to SMU in Week 10 and then a chance to exact revenge on Syracuse seven days later.
Cristobal has an awful habit of squandering these opportunities, and while it’s outlandish to think Stanford can come away with a win, or even keep this one close, the Cardinal can absolutely stick within 30 points of the Hurricanes, who are likely to ease off the pedal in the latter stages of this contest.
The Play: Stanford +30.5 (-110, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.