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The Duke Blue Devils take on the Florida State Seminoles. Check out our college football odds series for our Duke Florida State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Duke Florida State.
The main point of intrigue in this game surrounds Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. He was injured a few weeks ago against Notre Dame. Duke was able to beat North Carolina State without him, but North Carolina State is nowhere near the same weight class as unbeaten Florida State, the best team in the ACC and a legitimate College Football Playoff candidate. The Seminoles are loaded. They had a lot of key players coming back this season — Jordan Travis, Jared Verse, and lots of others — which is precisely why they were a playoff contender with a real chance to make a run. Transfer Keon Coleman from Michigan State has been a huge part of the offense's success this season. Florida State is deep and fast, stocked with lots of high-end athletes and top-tier talents. Duke needs Riley Leonard to not only play, but play well, in order to have a reasonable chance of being competitive in this game. Do we know for sure how fast, how sharp, and how ready Leonard will be? That's the variable which hangs over this game and will have a lot of people very interested in the first quarter of this important ACC contest.
Duke has one loss this season, but it's not an ACC loss. Duke has a two-game lead over Clemson in the ACC standings and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Tigers. This game could therefore be a preview of the ACC Championship Game later this season. Duke can lose here and yet still have the inside track to a rematch with Florida State in several weeks, as long as it wins its other remaining ACC games.
Here are the Duke-Florida State College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Duke-Florida State Odds
Duke Blue Devils: +14.5 (-110)
Florida State Seminoles: -14.5 (-110)
Over: 49.5 (-105)
Under: 49.5 (-115)
How To Watch Duke vs Florida State
Time: 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
TV: ABC
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Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Duke Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Devils have a legitimately strong defense. The Devils limited Clemson to just seven points and North Carolina State to only three. Duke head coach Mike Elko has done a tremendous job with the Blue Devils. The foundational aspect of Elko's successful makeover has been the creation of a tough, physical defense which simply doesn't make a lot of mistakes and doesn't allow easy, quick points to opponents. Even if Duke's offense is somewhat limited by Riley Leonard's less-than-complete health, the Blue Devils can still contain a Florida State offense which, though talented, can go through lulls. Remember that Florida State beat Boston College by only two points earlier this season. Remember that Florida State allowed 17 consecutive points at home to Virginia Tech before regrouping to win. Florida State is supremely skilled but will go through 15- or 20-minute sequences in which it plays poorly. If Duke can simply take advantage of those game segments in which FSU is struggling, it can keep this game close enough to cover the spread.
Why Florida State Could Cover the Spread
The Florida State arsenal of weapons is very deep. Quarterback Jordan Travis has a lot of options. Duke has a really good defense, but it has never played an offense as good as this one. The Blue Devils might not be ready for the level of athleticism which is coming their way. Also keep in mind that while Duke did hold Clemson to just seven points in the season opener, Clemson moved the ball up and down the field. The problem for Clemson was red zone turnovers. As long as Florida State scores in the red zone and finishes drives, it should win the game big.
Final Duke-Florida State Prediction & Pick
Wait until you see Riley Leonard in the first quarter. If he can be effective, Duke will cover, but if not, this could be a huge blowout. Wait for information and then consider an in-game play.
Final Duke-Florida State Prediction & Pick: Florida State -14.5
