Miami to Face Oklahoma State in Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29

Miami will take on unfamiliar foe Oklahoma State in a familiar setting, the Cheez-It Bowl. The bowl game’s name may not sound familiar, but its former titles, the Russell Athletic Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl are.

It’s a far cry from Miami’s Orange Bowl hopes, but the ‘Canes still get an opportunity to end 2020 on a high note with a win against a quality opponent.

As usual, Oklahoma State’s offense is potent, averaging 38-points per game. Despite leading rusher Chuba Hubbard opting-out for the remainder of the year, head coach Mike Gundy’s teams are used to competing in high-stakes matchups and for their conference championship title.

The Hurricanes and Cowboys have only met once before in 1991, with Miami easily winning the game 40-3.

The way Miami’s season has developed may remind some of 2016, a year in which they got off to a hot start, yet fell short in crucial matchups. That team also landed itself in an Orlando bowl game, then named the Russell Athletic Bowl, beating West Virginia by a score of 31-14.

The game may appear underwhelming for fans, but beating a ranked-Power 5 team is positive under any circumstance. Additionally, bowl wins are hard to come by for UM, winning just once in the last decade.

Regardless of the prior expectations, a win here would help fans and players move past the North Carolina loss and send the seniors out in a good light.