Five Things to Know about OSU’s Cheez-It Bowl against Miami

The No. 21 Cowboys are going bowling for the 15th-straight season and their opponent this year is No. 18 Miami.

Here are five things you should know about Cowboys’ Cheez-It Bowl matchup against the Hurricanes.

1. The Cheez-It Bowl was the Camping World Bowl

This can get a bit confusing but the bowl that was called the “Cheez-It bowl” the last two years is now the Guaranteed Rate Bowl and is played in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s not where OSU is playing.

This year’s Cheez-It Bowl is a rebrand of the Camping World Bowl that has Big 12/ACC ties. The Cowboys participated back in 2017 when they bested Virginia Tech.

That was Oklahoma State’s first appearance in what is now called the Cheez-It Bowl but the Hurricanes have played in it five times previously (tied for most with NC State), most recently beating West Virginia in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl. Again, that was Miami’s only postseason win in over a decade. Miami is 3-2 all-time in this bowl series.

2. Oklahoma State is a Top 10 Bowl Team

The Cowboys hold a 19-11 all-time record in bowl games and are 9-5 in bowls under Mike Gundy. The school’s .633 bowl win percentage is No. 10 in the FBS. Among teams to play in at least 20 bowl games, OSU comes in fifth behind only Utah (.739), Ole Miss (.649), USC (.642) and Syracuse (.635).

3. Miami Isn’t

The Hurricanes come in ranked 54th in all-time bowl win percentage at 19-22. Miami has lost its last three bowl games and is just 1-9 over the Canes’ last 10 bowls dating back to 2008.

4. The Cowboys and Hurricanes Have Met Just Once

The lone meeting between OSU and Miami was all the way back in Octoboer of 1991. The No. 2 Hurricanes beat up on the Cowboys 40-3. Pat Jones’ team went winless that season while the Canes would go on to win their fourth national championship after shutting out Nebraska in the 1992 Orange Bowl in their home town.

5. Miami Loses Big to Good Teams

Are there such things as “good” losses?

On one hand, you can say that the Hurricanes’ only two losses in 2020 came to No. 2 Clemson and No. 14 North Carolina. On the other, you can say that Miami lost the only games it played against currently-ranked opponents — by a combined 61 points.

Of course OSU went 2-3 against CFP ranked teams, with wins over Tulsa and Iowa State and losses to Texas and OU. As far as strength of schedule goes, the two teams are pretty even. OSU’s is 49th compared to Miami’s No. 53 SOS ranking.

The Cheez-It Bowl will take place at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. It will be televised on ESPN.