In the battle of conference runner ups, Miami takes on Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. Who has the upper hand in this one?
Outside of the playoff, the Orange Bowl seems to be one of the most exciting match ups of the post season. Miami, despite a strong regular season, fell to Pittsburg in the final week of the regular season and to Clemson in the ACC Championship. Wisconsin went 12-0 in the regular season, but fell to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Now, the battle of the conference runner-ups commences in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night. Here are my bold predictions for the matchup.
5. Home-field advantage is a huge deal for Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes play their regular season games at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Orange Bowl will be played in, you guessed it, the Hard Rock Stadium. This team is unbeaten at home this season and that is shaping up to be a huge plus for the post season.
This is obviously not a guaranteed victory for Miami as Wisconsin didn’t go 12-0 in the regular season by accident. However, it is a pretty big deal that they get to play in their home state and in their home stadium. Fans won’t have to travel far and as a result I can definitely see that stadium decked out in green and orange.