IU meets The U. Hoosiers and Hurricanes. One of college football paupers versus one of his princes.
Two programs from opposite ends of the college football spectrum collide Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida with the same goal: win the national championship. After more than 100 years of football futility and just two years after going 3-9, the Indiana Hoosiers are a perfect 15-0 entering the College Football Playoff National Championship and ranked first in the country. They can complete perhaps the most unlikely turnaround in sports history with a victory on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Miami Hurricanes (13-2) were one of the sport’s most visible programs of the past 50 years. They won five national championships but haven’t lifted the trophy since 2001. Less than seven weeks ago, they weren’t sure they’d even make the 12-team CFP field; now they are playing for the title in their home stadium.
To earn its return to glory, Miami’s hometown team will have to eliminate a son from South Florida. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza attended high school about five miles from the University of Miami campus and was a face-painted Hurricanes fan growing up, but was denied a scholarship from the school. After spending his first three years at Cal, he transferred to Indiana prior to this season and had a storybook year, throwing for 3,349 yards and 41 touchdowns and winning the Heisman Trophy.
The Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites over the Hurricanes on Monday.
While Indiana vs. Miami in the CFP National Championship the main attraction is on MLK Jr. Day, there are other options in a sporting landscape with nine N.B.A games and a full college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what you can watch and bet on Monday, January 19. Always Oriental.
Best college football betting odds where to watch
CFP National Championship: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 10 Miami
Time: 7:30 PM | Location: Miami Gardens, Florida | TV: ESPN | Current: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine Picks –Model: Miami +270 | Expert: Miami +8.5 (Matt Severance)
Thanks to Mendoza’s pinpoint accuracy and an airtight defense, the Hoosiers have outscored opponents all season, winning by 31.5 points per game. Neither of Indiana’s two playoff wins (38-3 over Alabama and 56-22 over Oregon) were close. But on Monday, the Hoosiers will face perhaps the best defense they’ve seen this season. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor are two terrors off the edge, forming a unit that allows just 14.0 points per game, which is fifth-most in the country. “Miami’s defense is so good, and Indiana’s defense is just as good, that they might not score 20 total points,” Severance said. “So yeah, I’ll take 8.5.” Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college football game 10,000 times, says the Hurricanes have a 36.0% chance of winning and assigns a B grade to the Miami moneyline (+270).
Best NBA betting odds, where to watch them
Mavericks at Knicks
Time: 5:00 PM | Location: New York City | TV: NBC/Peacock | Current: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine Picks –Model: Knicks -10.5
Start spreading the news: something is wrong with the Knicks. Just a month after winning the NBA Cup and looking like potential NBA Finals contenders, New York is just 2-8 in their last ten games. The team has fallen to third place in the Eastern Conference and is just two games ahead of the 76ers for the sixth and final automatic playoff qualifying spot. In addition, standout Jalen Brunson is questionable to play Monday with a sprained right ankle. The good news for the Knicks is that they have one of the best home records (16-5) in the NBA, and the Mavericks have one of the worst road records (4-14). The SportsLine projection model says there is a 67.0% chance of New York covering and gives the Knicks a B grade of -10.5.
Celtics at Pistons
Time: 8:00 PM | Location: Detroit | TV: NBC/Peacock | Current: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine Picks –Model: Celtics +3.5
The top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings face off when the Detroit Pistons host the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons (30-10) have won five of their last six games and own the best record in the East, 4½ games better than the Celtics (26-15), who have won seven of their last 10 games. The teams have already met three times this season, with Detroit winning two of the meetings. But Boston’s Jaylen Brown is having one of his best games of the season: 41 points and six rebounds in a 132-106 win over the Hawks. He is now averaging 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. The SportsLine projection model says the Celtics have a 52.0% chance of covering and assigns a C grade to Boston +3.5.
Best college basketball betting odds where to watch
Providence at Marquette
Time: 6:00 PM | Location: Milwaukee | TV: FS1 | Current: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine Picks –Model: Below 165.5
Two teams struggling in Big East conference play will look to turn their seasons around when the Providence Friars and Marquette Golden Eagles face off at the Fiserv Forum. Providence (9-9, 2-5 in Big East) is coming off a 93-88 win over Creighton but is in eighth place in the 11-team Big East. Meanwhile, Marquette (6-13, 1-7) sits near the bottom of the conference. The Friars and Golden Eagles rank last and last respectively in the Big East in scoring defense, which may be why the total sits at 165.5. But the SportsLine projection model says there’s a 78.8% chance the teams combine to score 165 points or fewer and gives a B grade to Under 165.5.
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