The North Texas Mean Green (6-6) and the Miami (OH) RedHawks (6-6) are both looking to snap long bowl losing streaks when they meet Thursday in the inaugural Frisco Football Classic. Both teams caught fire down the stretch to receive a bowl bid, with the Mean Green of Conference USA winning five straight and the RedHawks of the Mid-American Conference winning four of six. The programs aren’t strangers to bowl games, though they haven’t seen their seasons end on winning notes in a while. North Texas hasn’t won a bowl game since it defeated UNLV in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl, while Miami’s last bowl win came in 2010 against MTSU in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The latest North Texas vs. Miami odds list the RedHawks as 2.5-point favorites, while the over-under for total points is 55.5, up three points from the opening line. Before making any Miami vs. North Texas picks or 2021 Frisco Football Classic predictions, be sure to see the betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the second week of the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-30 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights North Texas vs. Miami and locked in its Frisco Football Classic 2021 picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football odds and betting trends for Miami vs. North Texas:
- North Texas vs. Miami point spread: Miami -2.5
- North Texas vs. Miami over-under total: 55.5 points
- North Texas vs. Miami money line: Miami -135, North Texas +115
- UNT: The Mean Green are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games as underdogs
- MIA: The RedHawks have covered five consecutive neutral-site games
Featured Game | Miami (OH) RedHawks vs. North Texas Mean Green
Why Miami (OH) can cover
Not many bowl-bound clubs have a starting quarterback who has led a team to a conference title while guiding their team for three seasons, but Miami has one of them in Brett Gabbert. He is the younger brother of former NFL and Missouri signal-caller Blaine Gabbert and took over the starting job his first year on campus. Because of the adjusted eligibility rules brought on by the pandemic, Gabbert is still considered just a sophomore even though he has played for three seasons.
In 2019, he became the first true freshman to start in Week 1 for the program and went on to be named MAC Freshman of the Year. He threw for 2,411 yards and 11 touchdowns. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jack Sorenson for what proved to be the difference in Miami’s 26-21 victory over Central Michigan in the 2019 MAC Championship Game.
He also tied a school bowl record with 22 completions and three for 246 yards in a 27-17 loss to Louisiana in the LendingTree Bowl. Gabbert suffered a couple of injuries in training camp that caused him to miss the opener against Cincinnati, but he has led the RedHawks the rest of the way. Backup AJ Mayer, should he be needed, has thrown for 946 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions.
Why North Texas can cover
The Mean Green head to the Frisco Football Classic 2021 on the heels of one of the most impressive wins in the program’s history. Their 45-23 blowout of UTSA ended the Roadrunners’ undefeated season after they had become a Group of Five Cinderella story and spent much of the season in the top-25 rankings.
Although they were just 12-point home underdogs, a sign that oddsmakers already had taken note of their improvement, the dominant fashion in which they crushed UTSA was unexpected. The Roadrunners fumbled their first kickoff return and trailed 10-0 before their offense took one snap.
Rainy weather caused ball security issues for both clubs but, aside from committing two turnovers, the Mean Green had their way with a rushing attack that went for 340 yards and saw two players break triple digits. DeAndre Torrey rushed 23 times for 108 yards and three touchdowns, while Ikaika Ragsdale had 20 rushes for 146 yards and two scores.
How to make North Texas vs. Miami (OH) picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 57 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time. You can only get the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Miami (OH) vs. North Texas in the Frisco Football Classic 2021? And which side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that is up almost $3,600 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.