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trials and tribulations of the Miami Hurricanes this year have been well-documented.
But the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho is presenting many of the Canes with a new challenge: frigid weather.
“[The ball] felt like a brick,” receiver Lance Leggett told the Miami Herald after Thursday morning’s practice in 18 degree weather. “You can`t feel your fingers, and once you catch the ball you can`t get a grip on it.”
The team headed to the mountains after practice and it marked the first time seeing snow for more than half the roster. Many of Miami’s players had fun in the white stuff, but others remained concerned with how the cold will affect the team on New Year’s Eve.
“Everything [was] moving in slow motion out there on the field,” quarterback Kirby Freeman complained to the Herald. “I told our guys they`ve got to snap out of it, including myself. The cold weather, the mentality, the blue field - I swear, that blue field makes it colder.”
With or without the blue turf at Bronco Stadium, the temperature on Sunday night is expected to reach a low of 23 degrees (pre-wind chill). That might not be the normal playing conditions for the Nevada Wolf Pack either, but the Pack certainly aren’t complaining as loudly as the Canes.
“We had long pants on, long shirts on and full pads and it felt like we were wearing nothing,” guard Derrick Morse told the Palm Beach Post. “It was ridiculous.”
So if the cold makes the Hurricanes uncomfortable, unhappy and unable to catch the ball, shouldn’t bettors prepare for the line to shift Nevada’s way?
“The cold weather will have very little, if any, effect on the game,” says a linesman at Pinnaclesports.com. “If snow were in the forecast, the total may be altered slightly, but the game line would likely remain the same.”
The total has already dropped from 43 points to 41 since opening lines came out weeks ago, but with no snow in the forecast, bettors can expect the Canes to remain 3 ½-point favorites in spite of the team’s apparent discomfort.
“The cold requires players to focus more. If they start thinking about the elements and not the execution they’re in trouble,” admits a Bodog.com book maker before explaining why they’ve had Miami at -3 ½ for over two weeks now.
“Miami has been attracting a lot of the public money for this game. They’ll always attract public money simply due to the fact they are well known. The public tends to bet on the team they are more familiar with, regardless of their record.”
And before you forget, here’s a reminder of the Hurricanes’ record this year: 6-6 straight up and a miserable 3-7-1 against the spread.
Nevada’s 8-4 SU and 10-2 ATS records were compiled against inferior competition, granted, but it was an off year for the ACC and Miami backers have more than the cold to worry about.
Sunday night marks the final game of a season that most Hurricanes wish had already ended. It’s the least attractive bowl game in which Miami has participated in recent memory. It’s also head coach Larry Coker’s last game on the team’s sideline, with hardly a “let`s win one for the Coker” to be heard.
Perhaps the most troubling sign for Sunday night’s game is the frequency with which returning Canes players are referring to next year. Over and over they talk of potentially returning 19 starters for 2007.
Maybe it’s the media’s fault for asking the players the forward-looking questions, but Miami backers would likely feel better if they heard a bit more about playing Nevada and a bit less about playing under newly-hired Randy Shannon next September.
The only bowl game played on New Year’s Eve kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.
But the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho is presenting many of the Canes with a new challenge: frigid weather.
“[The ball] felt like a brick,” receiver Lance Leggett told the Miami Herald after Thursday morning’s practice in 18 degree weather. “You can`t feel your fingers, and once you catch the ball you can`t get a grip on it.”
The team headed to the mountains after practice and it marked the first time seeing snow for more than half the roster. Many of Miami’s players had fun in the white stuff, but others remained concerned with how the cold will affect the team on New Year’s Eve.
“Everything [was] moving in slow motion out there on the field,” quarterback Kirby Freeman complained to the Herald. “I told our guys they`ve got to snap out of it, including myself. The cold weather, the mentality, the blue field - I swear, that blue field makes it colder.”
With or without the blue turf at Bronco Stadium, the temperature on Sunday night is expected to reach a low of 23 degrees (pre-wind chill). That might not be the normal playing conditions for the Nevada Wolf Pack either, but the Pack certainly aren’t complaining as loudly as the Canes.
“We had long pants on, long shirts on and full pads and it felt like we were wearing nothing,” guard Derrick Morse told the Palm Beach Post. “It was ridiculous.”
So if the cold makes the Hurricanes uncomfortable, unhappy and unable to catch the ball, shouldn’t bettors prepare for the line to shift Nevada’s way?
“The cold weather will have very little, if any, effect on the game,” says a linesman at Pinnaclesports.com. “If snow were in the forecast, the total may be altered slightly, but the game line would likely remain the same.”
The total has already dropped from 43 points to 41 since opening lines came out weeks ago, but with no snow in the forecast, bettors can expect the Canes to remain 3 ½-point favorites in spite of the team’s apparent discomfort.
“The cold requires players to focus more. If they start thinking about the elements and not the execution they’re in trouble,” admits a Bodog.com book maker before explaining why they’ve had Miami at -3 ½ for over two weeks now.
“Miami has been attracting a lot of the public money for this game. They’ll always attract public money simply due to the fact they are well known. The public tends to bet on the team they are more familiar with, regardless of their record.”
And before you forget, here’s a reminder of the Hurricanes’ record this year: 6-6 straight up and a miserable 3-7-1 against the spread.
Nevada’s 8-4 SU and 10-2 ATS records were compiled against inferior competition, granted, but it was an off year for the ACC and Miami backers have more than the cold to worry about.
Sunday night marks the final game of a season that most Hurricanes wish had already ended. It’s the least attractive bowl game in which Miami has participated in recent memory. It’s also head coach Larry Coker’s last game on the team’s sideline, with hardly a “let`s win one for the Coker” to be heard.
Perhaps the most troubling sign for Sunday night’s game is the frequency with which returning Canes players are referring to next year. Over and over they talk of potentially returning 19 starters for 2007.
Maybe it’s the media’s fault for asking the players the forward-looking questions, but Miami backers would likely feel better if they heard a bit more about playing Nevada and a bit less about playing under newly-hired Randy Shannon next September.
The only bowl game played on New Year’s Eve kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.
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