Miami learns its bowl destination Sunday. We have a hunch where Canes might be heading
The Miami Hurricanes haven’t played in a bowl game since 2020.
On Sunday afternoon, they’ll learn their destination for 2023, and UM coach Mario Cristobal hopes this ending will be a lot happier than most of the ones in recent years. He will make it a point that the Canes (7-5) approach it with as much intensity as they have their 12 regular-season games.
The Hurricanes are 1-10 in their past 11 bowls. The last UM bowl victory was Dec. 28, 2016 against West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.
“Let’s call it what it is,’’ Cristobal told WQAM earlier this week. “There’s been an arrogant approach to the postseason games unless you’re playing for it all. That can’t happen here. We’ve moved in the right direction in terms of the latter part of the season and now we have to have the same attitude in terms of the post season.”
Last year, the Canes finished 5-7 and didn’t qualify for the postseason. In 2021, Miami was to play Washington State in the Sun Bowl, but the Canes pulled out because of a UM outbreak of COVID-19.
Among the Power Five conferences, Miami’s Atlantic Coast Conference has the most bowl-eligible teams this season — 11 of its 14 members. Notre Dame (9-3) will not be part of the College Football Playoff games, so the Irish will be part of the ACC’s bowl selection process as well.
The Dec. 29 (2 p.m.) Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas or Dec. 28 (2:15 p.m.) Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York appear to be the likeliest UM destinations, with bowl experts Brett McMurphy of ActionNetwork.com and Jerry Palm of CBSSports both projecting UM against the Pac-12 opponent.
McMurphy has the Canes playing Oregon State (8-4) in El Paso. Palm has them playing Utah (8-4).
“I’m told at this point the Sun Bowl absolutely wants Miami,’’ McMurphy said. “The biggest thing for the Sun Bowl is TV ratings.’’
“It’s the one that made the most sense to me,’’ Palm said.
If it’s the Pinstripe, where UM lost 35-3 to Wisconsin in 2018 in Mark Richt’s final game as head coach, it could be Rutgers (6-6) as a possible opponent.
Other projections have UM playing Dec. 27 (2 p.m.) against SMU (10-2) or Memphis (9-3) in the GoBowling.com Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland. SMU, which will be in the ACC next season, is coached by former UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who inherited multiple Hurricanes last year from the transfer portal.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte is a possibility for the Canes, but it’s more likely the bowl that celebrates a victory by pouring mayonnaise on the coach will go in another direction — Virginia Tech ((6-6) vs. Kentucky (7-5), McMurphy projected. Palm is projecting Duke (7-5) vs. Auburn (6-6).
“...All that stuff is up in the air,’’ Cristobal said regarding UM’s pending destination and opponent. “It’s definitely going to be a good bowl. It’s going to be a really good opponent — and an opportunity to keep changing what the narrative is and the postseason and late November games.”
The College Football Playoff selection show begins at noon on ESPN, with the lower-profile bowls expected to be announced later in the afternoon.
Palm said the football bowl selection process is a lot harder to decipher.
“The NCAA basketball tournament is all merit-based,’’ Palm said. Bowls are not merit-based. There’s a minimum standard to be eligible [six wins] and there might be some rules in which the higher pecking order bowls get teams with better records, but after that it varies from league to league.
“The SEC is basically the Wild West, the Big Ten has got some significant structure and the ACC is in between.
“There’s a lot of divine intervention in getting things right.’’
