No. 13 Miami and No. 18 Iowa State will clash in one of only three bowl games outside the College Football Playoff including two ranked teams. As you’d expect in this situation, it’s also a battle between two teams who came up just short of their goals.
Miami began its season with nine straight wins. It was a favorite to win the ACC and earn a College Football Playoff berth before losing two its final three games, including in its regular-season finale against Syracuse. The Hurricanes’ season included plenty of close calls, but they ultimately couldn’t balance the tightrope.
Iowa State started 7-0, but it felt like consecutive losses to Texas Tech and Kansas had knocked it out of Big 12 title contention. They did not. The Cyclones responded with three straight wins, and when results elsewhere went their way, they found themselves in the conference title game against Arizona State. They came up short in the end…