The Duke Blue Devils are back and will try to replicate their success from last season. We are here to share our college football odds series, making a Duke over-under win total prediction and pick.
Duke went 9-4, including 5-3 in the ACC. Ultimately, it was a good season with many highlights. The Blue Devils started the season by shutting out Temple 30-0. Next, they won 31-23 at Northwestern. Duke took down North Carolina A&T 49-20 to put themselves at 3-0. However, they suffered a 35-27 loss at Kansas. But they bounced back with a 38-17 victory over Virginia. Then, Duke lost 23-20 in overtime to Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils suffered another loss, falling 38-35 at home to North Carolina. Regardless, they roared back with a 45-21 victory at Miami.
Duke defeated Boston College 38-31 on the road. Next, they defeated Virginia Tech 24-7 at home. But they suffered a 28-26 loss in Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils responded by winning 34-31 at home against Wake Forest. Finally, they finished the season by winning the Military Bowl 30-13 against UCF.
There were no draft picks from the Blue Devils. However, they did have some players sign with some teams as undrafted free agents. The Blue Devils will have to adjust to some of these changes. Now, we will see how they do as the new campaign rolls around.
Here are the College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Over/Under Win Total Odds
Over 6.5 wins: +126
Under 6.5 wins: -154
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Why Duke Can Win 6.5 Game
The Blue Devils won nine games last season. Ultimately, their offense produced explosive results and will attempt to accomplish the same result. There is some positivity and hope for even more in 2023.
Quarterback Riley Leonard is amazing. Ultimately, he helped the Blue Devils rise to the occasion. Leonard threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Additionally, he rushed for 699 yards. Can he replicate the amazing feat? Duke believes he can and will expect to see more.
Jordan Waters returns as the top running back for the Blue Devils. Significantly, he rushed 123 times for 566 yards and eight touchdowns. There is hope that he can do even more. Moreover, he can be an amazing weapon to take the Blue Devils to the next level. But he would not run so well if it were not for amazing blocking. Furthermore, the Blue Devils have one of the best offensive linemen in All-ACC tackle Graham Barton.
But while the offense is amazing, the defense showed signs of improving, and hope to take another step. Ultimately, the secondary is a strength. Chandler Rivers played efficiently, making 33 solo tackles, one interception, and six pass deflections. The Blue Devils will welcome Al Blades, who transfers over from Miami. Ultimately, Blades had nine solo tackles and one pass deflection. He will look to improve upon last season and make an impact for his new team.
Duke will win seven games behind an amazing offense and a strong secondary. Likewise, we could see them inch closer to a better bowl game.
Why Duke Can Not Win 6.5 Games
The story on Duke last season was their great offense and bad offense. Then, their defense improved. It still is not the best defense, but it got better. Ultimately, ther4e are still some issues.
The Blue Devils had a decent pass rush. Regardless, there were games where they fell flat. The game at Kansas was a prime example of how their defense could lapse. Moreover, the loss to North Carolina showed they have some fundamentals to work on. Can this defense take the next step to finally make this a complete team? The Blue Devils must figure out where some of their players fit. Likewise, Duke searches for that elite pass rusher. Ja'Mion Franklin is the potential answer, and will look to take that next step.
Duke fielded a great offense. However, their offense still had some issues on third down, and they failed to control the clock. Duke was 1-3 when they converted less than 40 percent of their third downs. Amazingly, they were 8-1 when they converted 40 percent or more. The Blue Devils are 2-14 over the past three seasons when they have not hit the 40 percent mark.
Duke will not win seven games because there are still issues on defense. Moreover, their offense still struggles on third down.
Final Duke Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick
Duke has some issues. Regardless, there is still too much talent on this team to stumble. The Blue Devils win at least seven games.
Final Duke Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick: Over 6.5 wins: +126
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