Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Pete Fiutak

Virginia vs Duke Prediction, Game Preview

Virginia vs Duke prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Saturday, October 1


Virginia vs Duke How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 1
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN3
Record: Virginia (2-2), Duke (3-1)
Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

Roundup: Overrated, Underrated, What it all Means
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Hot Seat Coach Rankings after Week 4
Think, Know, Believe: Football Smack Talk
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Virginia vs Duke Game Preview

Why Virginia Will Win

Eventually the offense will get going.

It’s been night-and-day different – that’s a nice way of saying awful – compared to the 2021 version that bombed away all over the place, but the parts are still in place to do a whole lot more.

Brennan Armstrong almost pulled out the Syracuse game last week – the Cavaliers lost 22-20 – and now he gets a Duke defense that failed miserably against the two teams on the schedule so far that can throw.

Northwestern threw for 435 yards against the Blue Devils, and Kansas star Jalon Daniels went off for 324 last week to go along with the team’s 213-yard ground game.

Armstrong is too good for the O – especially on third downs – to be this bad. Virginia is 118th in the nation in third down conversions, and Duke is dead last in the ACC in third down D.

Or …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why Duke Will Win

Maybe Virginia’s offense just isn’t very good.

The line is getting Armstrong beaten up, the running game hasn’t been able to take over when needed, and between the ten turnovers and the team’s 31 penalties, there are WAY too many mistakes.

Duke might not be perfect, but it’s not screwing up – the two turnovers so far weren’t any big deal.

The passing game has been effective because the O line leads the ACC in pass prediction, and …

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Can the Virginia pass rush be enough to get this done?

The offense isn’t playing well, but the defense has stepped up with a ton of sacks, the D forced four takeaways against both Illinois and Syracuse, and the offense should be able to finally move against a Blue Devil defense that clunked against the two Power Five teams on the slate.

There won’t be anything pretty about this. It’s supposed to be cold, rainy, and the wind is going to be a problem.

It’ll come down to defense and running game, and Virginia will be better in both areas.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

Virginia vs Duke Prediction, Line

Virginia 21, Duke 20
Line: Duke -2.5, o/u: 49
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Virginia vs Duke Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

Predictions of Every Game
Bowl Projections | Rankings
Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.