Duke is never going to be an annual superpower in college football because it’s a basketball-first school, so top football recruits won’t go there – if they can even get in. But the Blue Devils are capable of surprise seasons once in a while. Could that be the case in 2023 in the ACC? Here’s the preview for your college football betting odds to win the NCAA National Championship.
Duke Blue Devils 2023 College Football Season Betting Guide | MyBookie College Betting Preview
Duke Blue Devils | ACC Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
School: Duke University
Head coach: Mike Elko | 1st season
Home field: Wallace Wade Stadium | 40.000
Odds to win ACC: +3000
Regular-season wins: 6.5
The Duke program had fallen into a rut under former coach David Cutcliffe. Very good coach but it was just time for him to leave following a 3-9 record in 2021 and he did. The Dukies replaced him with Mike Elko, the 22nd head football coach in team history. While many schools look toward an offensive-minded head coach these days because offense sells tickets, Elko had spent 18 of his 23 seasons previously as a defensive coordinator around the FBS – last at Texas A&M in 2021.
Looks like the school administration might have gotten it right with the Elko hiring after Duke finished a surprising 9-4 this past season, capped by a 30-13 win over Central Florida in the Military Bowl. The nation’s second-leading team in turnover margin, Duke was plus-two vs. UCF with a fumble recovery and a game-sealing interception in the game’s final seconds. Sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard was named the Military Bowl MVP after rolling up 236 total yards and scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns.
The Blue Devils face a tougher schedule than they did last year, but Elko’s squad returns 17 starters, including All-ACC contender Leonard at quarterback and eight starters on defense. In 13 games last season, Leonard threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 63.8% completion percentage. He added 699 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He has been compared to former Dukie and current New York Giants QB Daniel Jones. The 2023 season will mark the first time since 2018 in which Duke returns its starting quarterback from the previous year.
Graham Barton is one of the best offensive tackles in the country. The 2022 first team All-ACC selection helped the Blue Devil offense accumulate 2,394 rushing and 3,010 passing yards last season. He started all 13 games at left tackle and created paths for Duke to register 31 rushing touchdowns, which set the program’s single-season record. He anchored an offensive line unit that ranked first in the ACC in sacks allowed (17) and tackles for loss allowed (51). Barton finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 88.2, which ranked fifth nationally among offensive tackles. In addition, he was the only Power 5 tackle in 2022 to earn 85.0 grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.
Duke returns 99.6 percent of its rushing yards from a season ago, highlighted by three veterans in graduate students Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters as well as junior Jaquez Moore. Waters and Moore, along with Leonard became the second trio in program history to rush for 500+ yards individually and the sixth threesome to rush for five+ TDs individually in a single-season.
The Blue Devils’ receiving corps is very experienced in that it returns 2,989 of the 3,010 receiving yards from last year. A total of 2,510 of those yards came from eight returning WRs, including third team All-ACC selection in redshirt senior Jalon Calhoun. He and junior Jordan Moore became the 14th duo in program history to register 600+ receiving yards in a single-season.
The Duke defense was better immediately last year under Eklo’s watch. After Duke allowed 39.8 points and 516.8 yards per game in 2021, the defense cut those numbers to 22.1 points and 378.2 yards last season. However, the Blue Devils must replace two-time All-ACC linebacker Shaka Heyward, who closed his Duke career tied for eighth in program history in career fumble recoveries (five), 12th in career TFL (32.5), 13th in career tackles (340), and tied for 14th in career sacks (11.5).
Tackle DeWayne Carter returns. He tallied 36 tackles a season ago, with a team-best 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. The second team All-ACC pick finished tied for third and tied for 13th nationally in fumble recoveries (three) and forced fumbles (three), respectively.
Duke won’t take anyone by surprise this season – note that there are no longer any divisions in the ACC. The Blue Devils open on Sept. 4, which is Labor Day night, as 12-point home underdogs against ACC favorite Clemson. The in-state rivals haven’t played in a few years because they were in opposite divisions.
This writer’s projection is 3-1 out of conference, with the loss at home against Notre Dame on Sept. 30 (other games are vs. Lafayette, Northwestern and UConn), and conference losses vs. Clemson, Florida State, Louisville and North Carolina – seven wins.
Duke Blue Devils 2023 Season Prediction
Blue Devils finish 7-5 (over 6.5 wins), no ACC title game
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2023 Duke Football Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All times ET | ||||
| 1 | Sep. 4 | Clemson Tigers | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | 8:00pm ET |
| 2 | Sep. 9 | Lafayette Leopards | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | 6:00pm ET |
| 3 | Sep. 16 | Northwestern Wildcats | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | 3:30pm ET |
| 4 | Sep. 23 | at UConn Huskies | Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT | 3:30pm ET |
| 5 | Sep. 30 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish
| Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC |
Time TBA |
|
| 6 | Oct. 7 | OFF | ||
| 7 | Oct. 14 | NC State Wolfpack | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | Time TBA |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | at Florida State Seminoles | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL | Time TBA |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | at Louisville Cardinals | L&N Stadium, Louisville, KY | Time TBA |
| 10 | Nov. 2 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | 7:30pm ET |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | at North Carolina Tar Heels | Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC | Time TBA |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | at Virginia Cavaliers | Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA | Time TBA |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | Pitt Panthers | Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC | Time TBA |
| 14 | Dec. 2 | ACC Championship | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 8:00pm ET |
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