Florida A&M vs. Miami odds, picks, prediction, betting preview, time for Week 2 college football Thursday

The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes' 2026 college football season got off to a rousing start as they eased to a 45-6 victory at Stanford. The 2025 national runners-up's quest to get back to the College Football Playoff continues Thursday when they host FCS foe Florida A&M. The Rattlers have played twice already and come in at 1-1. They beat the Hurricanes in the teams' first meeting in 1979 and have lost all 11 matchups since. Kickoff Thursday night is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Bet on Florida A&M vs. Miami and more college football games with the FanDuel promo code to receive bonus bets:

Miami is a 59.5-point home favorite in the latest FanDuel Sportsbook odds, and the Over/Under for total points scored is 65.5. The Hurricanes demolished Stanford on the road last week, while FAMU opened with a 20-7 victory against Albany State on Aug. 29 but lost to South Carolina State 31-13 on Sunday. 

If you'd like to try betting on college football matchups such as Florida A&M vs. Miami at the best betting apps, you need to see our picks for this matchup and what SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model have to say. 

Florida A&M vs. Miami betting odds (via FanDuel)

Florida A&M vs. Miami betting preview

Miami's offense looked like a juggernaut in the rout of Stanford last week, with sophomore standout Malachi Toney setting a school record with 234 receiving yards as he developed an immediate rapport with new quarterback Darian Mensah. The Duke transfer threw five TD passes, three of them to Toney, and the quarterback threw for 401 yards as the UM starters started coming out in the third quarter. Mensah threw for 3,973 yards last season for the Blue Devils. Toney had 109 catches for 1,211 yards as a freshman in helping Miami reach last year's College Football Playoff championship game, where it lost to Indiana 27-21. Mensah's former Duke teammate Cooper Barkate had 67 yards and a touchdown on four receptions for UM.

The 549 total yards was the most UM has put up in an opener against an FBS team in 25 years. The Hurricanes also rushed for 121 yards against the Cardinal, with Mark Fletcher getting the most carries and rushing for 40 yards on his 13 attempts. CharMar Brown had 38 yards on just seven rushes, and Javian Mallory went for 31 yards on just three tries. Fletcher rushed for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, but the Canes stuck with what was working in Week 1, and that was the passing game. Miami also had to replace some pieces on its offensive line, so it could take a few weeks to come together. Fletcher is one of a handful of Miami players who were on the field for the last meeting with FAMU -- a 56-9 rout in 2024 -- and he rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.  

The Miami defense also had to replace key pieces, as Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, who combined for 22 sacks in 2025, are both in the NFL. The Hurricanes had just one sack in the opener, by Armondo Blount, but Ahmad Moten (4.5 sacks in 2025) and Marquise Lightfoot (2.5) are part of a front that remains talented and can apply pressure. Linebacker Mohamed Toure led the team in tackles last season (84) and had two sacks, and he had a team-high nine tackles against Stanford. The Cardinal managed 299 total yards, rushing for 78, but a lot of that came in the second half when the game was out of reach. Star cornerback OJ Frederique suffered an injury early in the opener and is expected to miss significant time, but UM should have the depth to at least cover the loss adequately. Use the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get bonus bets when wagering on Florida A&M-Miami and more college football games:

The Rattlers are familiar with the Hurricanes, who have scored at least 40 points in 10 of the 12 meetings, and FAMU's only win in the series came at home. Every other meeting has been in Miami, and the Hurricanes have averaged 51.5 points in those home games, while FAMU has scored just 6.2 per game since its 16-13 home win almost 50 years ago. The odds of the Rattlers shocking the world are slim, but the huge point spread evens the playing field a bit, at least in terms of wagering. 

The defense was solid in the opener against Albany State, as the Rattlers outgained the Golden Rams 260-163 and held them to 3 rushing yards helped by 10 sacks. Antonio Camon led the team with three sacks after posting four last season. Albany State converted just two of 11 third downs. Things weren't quite as rosy in the Week 1 loss, as South Carolina State got 210 rushing yards and two TDs from running back Mason Pickett-Hicks. The Bulldogs outgained FAMU 479-161, finishing with 292 yards on the ground. FAMU rushed for minus-1 yard on 30 carries, and SC State had five sacks. 

The FAMU offense is a work in progress, and quarterback Isaiah Knowles injured his throwing hand in the loss to South Carolina State, with Dustin Fletcher replacing him at quarterback. They combined to complete 13 of 30 passes for 162 yards last week after Knowles threw for 190 in the opener. Knowles came over from Albany State with new Rattlers coach Quinn Gray, and the quarterback threw for 2,151 yards and 18 TDs and rushed for 283 yards last season. If he can't go, Citadel transfer Fletcher will run the show. He spent the previous three seasons with the Bulldogs but completed just 27 passes over that span and didn't play at all last season.      

The Rattlers will be familiar with the venue, as they have visited the stadium four times since 2010 (scoring a combined 19 points) and faced South Carolina State there Sunday in the Orange Blossom Classic. They also might be a bit more banged up and/or fatigued having two games under their belt and given that Miami's starters left their opening rout of Stanford early. The Rattlers won't be optimistic heading into the Week 2 matchup, but those lack of expectations will take the pressure off, and bettors who want to back them have a ton of points to work with.

Florida A&M vs. Miami picks, prediction

FAMU +59.5

The Hurricanes' offense was nearly unstoppable in Week 1, and while Stanford's defense wasn't very good, FAMU's isn't any better. In fact, it is probably much worse and now has to step up against a very good FBS team. I mean, the Rattlers just yielded 31 points to S.C. State in an FCS matchup. Canes stars like Mensah and Toney were pulled from the opener in the third quarter and could be out even earlier this week. Cristobal usually just wants to win and get out of there, unlike some previous UM coaches who had no problem running up the score.  

FAMU isn't anywhere near the same league as this Miami team, but the Rattlers should be able to cover this huge spread. Miami was slinging it all over the field against the Cardinal, but the former offensive lineman Cristobal no doubt wants to establish things in the trenches, so Fletcher and Co. could see a lot of work here. The way I see this playing out is UM scoring on some explosive plays early and then running the ball the bulk of the time once it gets a decent lead. The Hurricanes could beat FAMU by 70 -- in fact, they beat the Rattlers 70-3 in 2016 -- but I think it's more likely they win by closer to 40 points. 

The Rattlers have held UM under 50 points in six of 11 meetings, with the Hurricanes topping 60 twice. The Canes never topped 50 with Beck calling the shots last year, but they did so five times with Ward at the helm in 2024. They beat FAMU 56-9 and South Florida 50-15 that year and won shootouts with Louisville and Duke. The only one of the five they won by more than 50 points was a 62-0 triumph against Ball State.

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