College Football Predictions: Duke vs. Miami Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 04 November 2011 23:02

We’ll preview the college football game between Duke and Miami with predictions on the score.

The Duke Blue Devils (3-5) and the Miami Hurricanes (4-4) will meet up on Saturday, and we hope that our preview of both teams will be able to nail down exactly what to expect in their game.  Start time of the Duke vs. Miami game is set for 3:00 PM ET and you can catch the college football action live on a Fox Sports Net channel.

Miami was a 28-13 winner on the road last year, as well as a 34-16 victor at home in 2009.  The Blue Devils did manage to cover the point spread in both of those games, as well as 4 of the last 5 against the Hurricanes since 2006.  The under has been a winner in 4 of the last 5 as well, and Saturday’s total is set at 56.5.  Miami is the home team this year and will be a 15.5-point wagering favorite according to the college football odds at Legends Sportsbook.

Duke began their year with losses to Richmond and Stanford before rebounding with 3 straight wins against Boston College, Tulane, and Florida International.  The Blue Devils have since lost 3 straight against Florida State, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech, and have covered the point spread in 5 of their last 6 this season.  Miami has lost against Maryland, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia, while besting Ohio State, Bethune Cookman, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech.  The Hurricanes have covered the point spread in 3 of their last 4 overall.

The Blue Devils have some balance on offense but would be scoring more than 22.9 points per game if they found a way to average higher than 3.1 yards per carry.  Duke throws the ball well and they might find room to run against a Miami defense that has given up 182.9 rushing yards a game this year.  The Hurricanes just are not that strong on the defensive side of the ball, and Duke can score a bit if they get the run going.

Miami has a stronger offense than Duke and quarterback Jacory Harris (1555 yards, 63.4%, 15 TD, 4 INT) is expected to suit up despite being listed on the injury report as probable with a shoulder injury.  The Hurricanes blend the run and the pass well and will be going up against a Duke defense that allows 27.4 points per game.  The Blue Devils have run into the most trouble against teams that can overpower them at the line of scrimmage while rushing the ball for big gains, and I’m not sure Miami meets that criteria.

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Predictions on the Duke vs. Miami game call for the Blue Devils to keep it close thanks to their ability to run, but ultimately the Hurricanes are going to be too tough to beat outright.  I’d recommend a wager on Duke if I were to bet on this college football game, and the Blue Devils do have a chance to win outright if they can avoid costly mistakes that set their defense up in poor spots and defending a short field.

Duke vs. Miami Score Predictions:

Duke 24

Miami 31