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The Duke Blue Devils take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Check out our college football odds series for our Duke North Carolina prediction and pick. Find how to watch Duke North Carolina.
The Duke Blue Devils had a lot to be excited about one month into their 2023 football season. They were unbeaten. They took down Clemson and Dabo Swinney in their season opener. They were a serious contender for the ACC Championship Game. Head coach Mike Elko had been doing an outstanding job.
Then came the quarter which unraveled so much of what Duke and Elko had built. Riley Leonard, the tough and elusive running quarterback who has helped Elko elevate Duke's quality in a relatively short period of time, got injured late in the Notre Dame game. Alongside that disastrous turn of events, Notre Dame beat the Blue Devils late on a touchdown which followed a 4th-and-16 first-down scramble by Fighting Irish quarterback Sam Hartman. The loss to Notre Dame was painful, but the injury to Leonard was the real point of concern. The game wasn't a conference loss for Duke, but with Leonard being limited, the frailty of the season became apparent.
If anything more happened to Leonard, Duke was in deep trouble.
Sure enough, Leonard — who came back into the lineup and played against Florida State — got hurt versus the Seminoles. Duke lost its heart and soul at the most important position on the field. The Blue Devils aren't nearly as good without Leonard, and as a result, the losses have mounted. Duke is out of the running for the ACC Championship Game. Elko has done an amazing job as head coach, but the results of the 2023 season won't show that. Duke will be without Leonard for its rivalry game against North Carolina this week.
Here are the Duke-North Carolina College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Duke-North Carolina Odds
Duke Blue Devils: +13.5 (-110)
North Carolina Tar Heels: -13.5 (-110)
Over: 51.5 (-110)
Under: 51.5 (-110)
How To Watch Duke vs North Carolina
Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT
Article Continues Below
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Duke Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Devils might not have Riley Leonard, but they still have a tough team and a strong defense. Duke football has become very physical under Mike Elko. A physical style of play can punch North Carolina in the mouth and knock the Tar Heels off balance. North Carolina has lost to Virginia and Georgia Tech — two not-very-good teams — this season. If UNC can lose to those opponents, it can certainly lose to a Riley Leonard-less Duke team. The Blue Devils could win outright, but they will definitely cover what is a large spread for a North Carolina team which has not played well over the past month.
Why North Carolina Could Cover the Spread
The Tar Heels haven't been good in recent weeks, but with Riley Leonard out, Duke is uniquely and profoundly vulnerable. North Carolina should be able to hold down Duke's offense. As long as UNC quarterback Drake Maye plays up to his standards, Carolina will have more than enough points to not only win, but cover the spread. The fact that this is a rivalry game should help North Carolina play with the level of passion the team has been missing in recent weeks.
Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
This is a game worth staying away from. Duke has great line play but is hamstrung at quarterback. That's not an easy situation to bet on.
Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: Duke +13.5
