Miami Hurricanes’ 2019 Win Total Unchanged after Tate Martell Declared Eligible

• Tate Martell transferred from Ohio State to Miami this offseason
• The sophomore made the decision after Justin Fields transferred from Georgia to the Buckeyes
• Martell is likely to start for the Hurricanes despite throwing just 28 career passes

Former Ohio State QB Tate Martell will suit up for the Miami Hurricanes in 2019 thanks to an NCAA waiver, which granted him immediate eligibility.  While the news was met with excitement in Miami, it was met with a yawn from the rest of the college football world including the 2019 college football win totals.

Miami Hurricanes 2019 Win Total

The O/U listed looks exactly the same today as it did yesterday and for good reason.  Here’s the breakdown for why the line didn’t move and why Under 8.5 wins is just as good of a bet today as it was before.

QB Tate Martell, who transferred to Miami from Ohio State, has been granted eligibility to play the 2019 season. https://t.co/0rKSaIFSuz

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) March 19, 2019

NCAA Waiver For Martell No Surprise

The fact Martell was granted eligibility for 2019 was no shock. It would have been a surprise had he not received it.  In today’s NCAA climate, receiving these waivers is easier than ever before.  In fact, Martell only needed the waiver because his job was taken at Ohio State by Justin Fields, who received a waiver himself.

https://twitter.com/InsideTheU/status/1108397867486597122

When Ryan Day replaced Urban Meyer as head coach at Ohio State and immediately started courting other QB options, it seemed like the writing was on the wall for Martell.  There was also little reason for the Buckeyes to stand in the way for Martell to gain eligibility this year, which certainly helped his case.

Impact of Martell Remains Unclear

The other reason the odds didn’t change much is simply because little is known about Martell.  He was recruited to Ohio State as a gifted QB from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, but he’s shown little to nothing at the NCAA level.  In his freshman season, he threw 28 total passes, all of which came in mop-up duty. He also ran 22 times, mostly in goal-line situations, but again that doesn’t lend itself to showing true value.

we aren’t ready yet.. but we will be!

oh btw… I’M ELIGIBLE TO PLAY! pic.twitter.com/jSr9wmwiqi

— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) March 19, 2019

Given the opportunity to win the starting job at Ohio State after J.T. Barrett left for the NFL, Martell almost instantly lost the job to Dwayne Haskins.  Now, Haskins was nominated for the Heisman and is likely to get picked in the 1st round of the upcoming NFL draft so it was stiff competition, but Martell put up little to no fight.

Then after declaring he’d fight for the job even if Fields transferred from Georgia, Martell bolted for the easier road.

Miami won seven games last year and there’s little evidence to suggest they’ll be able to win two more games with Martell at QB.

Take the under and be thankful you’re getting +125 which is great value given the absence of any evidence this marriage will succeed.

PICK: UNDER 8.5