Miami RedHawks 2009 Football Betting Preview

With the College Football 2009 Season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 120 Division I-A college football teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best College Football Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Football in our recommend sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2009 NCAA Football Season Previews here.

Miami Ohio 2008 Record: (2-10, 1-7)
Miami Ohio 2008 Bowl: none
Miami Ohio Coach: Michael Haywood (First year at Miami, 0-0 overall)
Miami Ohio Offensive Coordinator: Peter Vaas
Miami Ohio Defensive Coordinator: Carl Reese
Miami Ohio Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Thomas Merriweather, RB, 547 yards
• Passing: Daniel Raudabaugh, QB, 1,960 yards
• Receiving: Chris Givens, WR, 513 yards
• Tackles: Caleb Bostic, LB, 40
• Sacks: Morris Council, DE, 2.5
• Interceptions: Ben Bennett, S, 1

Notable Miami Ohio Returning Players: DT Martin Channels, G Bob Gulley, LB Ryan Kennedy, OT Zachary Marshall, CB Brandon Stephens, CB Jeff Thompson, CB Cornelius Ward

Miami Ohio Key Losses: DE Joe Coniglio, TE Tom Crabtree, DE Travis Craven, G Dave DiFranco, LB Joey Hudson, LB Clayton Mullins, K Nate Parseghian, P Jake Richardson, LB Chris Shula, OT Steve Sutter, S Robbie Wilson

The Redhawks were shockingly bad last year, especially after going to the MAC Title Game in 2007. I picked them to finish second in the East but they plummeted all the way to a 2-10 record and a conference-worst 1-7 mark, costing head coach Shane Montgomery his job after 4 seasons. To explain how bad Miami truly was, I give you their rankings in scoring offense and defense: Dead last and second to last, respectively. As Charles Barkley would say, that’s terrible. This fall new head coach Michael Haywood will hope to begin to turn around the conference’s worst team from a year ago.

The offense was downright putrid in 2008, averaging only 18.4 points per game. The Redhawks will have to hope for improvement as they return seven starters on offense, including senior QB Daniel Radabaugh, who improved down the stretch but still finished with more interceptions than touchdowns. The offensive line returns only two starters and is learning a new system so it seems likely that there will be growing pains. There is a little bit of good news at the skill positions; The top three rushers return, led by junior tailback Thomas Merriweather (565 yards and 4 TDs last year), so there is hope for a running game if they can get some blocking. At receiver, the top four are back as well, though only junior Chris Givens (35 catches, 7 TDs) is an established threat. Overall, improvement is going to be the key word here as the Redhawks bring back the same cast of characters that were the source of an ineffective attack last fall. Don’t expect a lot of improvement but almost anything is better than last year’s squad.

On defense, the picture isn’t much brighter. The top four tacklers are gone and the experience level is pretty low. On the line, the defensive tackles return but neither contributed much in terms of tackles last year. The Redhawks allowed over 200 yards per game on the ground and it doesn’t look much better this year considering that they also have to replace their entire linebacking corps. The secondary returns a lot of experience as the lineup changed so much during the 2008 season and since they were 112 th in the country in pass defense last year, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they’ll get a little bit better by default. However, any improvement won’t likely make enough difference considering that teams will probably run at will on Miami. This is probably the worst defense in the entire conference.

The schedule does the Redhawks few favors either. They do manage to avoid division rival and favorite Akron but have three division road games and 3 games against the stronger West. Furthermore, they have three BCS teams in the non-conference and a road trip to Boise State! This team is probably the worst in the MAC and will have a serious issue beating last year’s 2 win total thanks to a tough schedule and their own ineptitude.

Miami Ohio Big Games: Sept. 26th @ Kent State, Oct. 24th vs. NIU, Nov. 18th vs. Buffalo

Miami’s Strength:

Under Coach Haywood’s guidance, the offense is full of potential. Running back Thomas Merriweather did not put up big numbers during his sophomore campaign, and the team as a whole ranked 12 th in the conference in rushing yards, but Merriweather could be in for a huge season. With Andre Bratton backing him up, there is no excuse for the ground game to be that bad again. Quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh is also back. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season, but he is an experienced senior. Chris Givens, Dustin Woods and Eugene Harris will give Raudabaugh plenty of targets to work with. The offense might not garner 400 yards per game, but they should certainly be more efficient and more dynamic than they were in 2008.

Miami’s Weakness:

If the RedHawks had a strength last year, it was the defense. However, Joey Hudson, Clayton Mullins, Robbie Wilson and Chris Shula, the team’s top four tacklers in 2008, are all gone. That practically leaves the linebacker corps empty and Caleb Bostic better turn into a senior leader or the defense will be in big trouble. The secondary is in better shape than the linebackers with the return of safety Ben Bennett and a host of serviceable cornerbacks, but the difference between a decent year and another horrible year will be the play of the front four. This was not a team that got into the backfield very often and that has to change if the defense is going to improve by leaps and bounds. Ends Joe Coniglio and Travis Craven are gone and that means younger players like Morris Council have to find a way to get into the backfield and they need some help from tackle Martin Channels.

Our Prediction for the 2009 RedHawks:

This is a relatively experienced team, but they failed to prove their worth last year. Is there any reason to believe that they can do much better this time around? Making matters even worse is the fact that kicker Nate Parseghian is gone and so is punter Jake Richardson. Those two were both honored by the conference for their outstanding senior seasons and while it may not sound like a big deal, Miami will miss their kicker and punter.

Miami Ohio Betting Odds

Will Miami Ohio go to a Bowl Game this year? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy Miami Ohio Football Betting at our feature sportsbooks. Miami Ohio & College Football Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of loot placing informed, smart Miami Ohio bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.

Join BetUs.com Today and Bet on Miami Ohio and receive a 50% Sportsbook Bonus!

NCAA Football Handicapping Picks

Check out our weekly Sports Handicapping Picks from the world’s best handicappers. Trust our handicapping experts offering premium and free NCAA Football Picks and packages daily. Also stay up to date with weekly College Football Matchups, and buy some picks to win some BIG cash this football season at our recommended sportsbooks.