Miami (Ohio) made another trip to the MAC Championship last year. But unlike the 2023 season, this most recent appearance didn’t go the RedHawks’ way.
Miami lost 38-3 to Ohio in the conference title game. However, the RedHawks did bounce back and beat Colorado State 43-17 in the Arizona Bowl.
Miami had an overall successful 2024 season. The RedHawks went 9-5 overall with three of their losses being against Power Four opponents, and two of those contests were decided by less than 10 points. But the RedHawks hope to get a win over a P4 opponent this season in Week 1.
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Miami (Ohio) vs. Wisconsin Betting Odds
Wisconsin is a -18.5 college football betting odds favorite against Miami (Ohio), with the Over/Under being 40.5.
The moneyline for Miami (Ohio) is +625, while it’s -1000 for Wisconsin.
Miami (Ohio) vs. Wisconsin On TV
The matchup between Miami (Ohio) and Wisconsin will be televised on Big Ten Network.
The game will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 28. The contest is taking place at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Miami (Ohio) vs. Wisconsin Prediction
I predict Wisconsin will win but Miami (Ohio) will cover the 18.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 40.5 total points.
With longtime starting quarterback Brett Gabbert moving on, Miami (Ohio) turned to the transfer portal to find a new signal caller. And the RedHawks found one familiar with the conference.
The RedHawks added Dequan Finn, who was the MAC’s MVP in 2023 while at Toledo before transferring to Baylor last year. Over the course of five years with the Rockets, Finn threw for 7,074 yards and 63 touchdowns while rushing for 1,840 yards and 25 TDs. He’s the only player at Toledo to pass for more than 2,000 yards and run for at least 500 in multiple seasons.
With him at quarterback, I think Miami can keep up with Wisconsin offensively until the fourth quarter.
Miami also brought back a good amount of experience on defense overall. Five of its top 10 tacklers from last season are returning. All-MAC third-team defensive back Eli Blakey is back after tallying 89 tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception. Fellow DB Silas Walters was second on the team with 95 tackles and 12 pass breakups while adding 2.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.
Linebackers Corban Hondru, Oscar McWood, and Adam Trick should also continue to make impacts for Miami. And that much experience returning for the RedHawks should be crucial after they were top three in the MAC in terms of scoring defense (18.8 points per game allowed) and total defense (331.4 yards per game allowed).
I think Wisconsin is a better team at home. But I don’t think the RedHawks will lose by more than two touchdowns.
