1. Andrew
2. Bob -1
3. Patrick -4
T4. Mark -6
T4. Guest -6

Mark – The Blue Devils have been searching for the elusive win and they’ve won three straight over Virginia. That said, the Wahoo’s are licking their chops and have a bowl game in their sights and they will have their ears pinned back. No way this game is 55-47 like last season. Duke plays them close but falls just short. Virginia 31, Duke 27

Andrew – A week after giving up 266 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against Miami, the Blue Devils will take on a UVA team averaging 190 rushing yards. Mike London has done a solid job of turning around UVA and the Cavaliers are now bowl-eligible for the first time in four years, but they will look to end a three-game losing streak to Duke this weekend in Charlottesville. The player to watch for the Cavs is junior tailback Perry Jones, who is the focal point of their potent rushing attack. For Duke, they, simply put, need to need to play with more personal pride on defense and execute on offense. For Coach Cutcliffe’s sake, it’s imperative that he demonstrates that he hasn’t lost this team. Virginia 28, Duke 20

Patrick – Matt Daniels has never lost to UVA. Sean Renfree has never lost to UVA. Coach Cutcliffe is 3-0 against UVA since arriving in Durham. Coming off one of their most disappointing performances of the Cutcliffe era, Duke needs a win in the worst way. Expect the Blue Devils to put together a much improved effort against a bowl-bound Virginia team. At 6-3, the Wahoos have been one of the biggest surprises in the ACC this season, and they’ll certainly be gunning for the Blue Devils after 3 straight losses in the rivalry. There are few instances where history and karma seem to be on the Blue Devils’ side, but this may be one of them. Duke seems to have the Cavaliers’ number, and they come into this game with nothing to lose, in desperate need of a win. Duke 24, Virginia 20

Bob – Duke has won the last three games against Virginia, but when the teams kick it off on Saturday afternoon the 6-3 Cavaliers will be an eight and one-half points favorite. Virginia has won four of their last five games, while the 3-6 Blue Devils have lost four games in a row. The two teams have had one common opponent this season, Miami. Virginia defeated Miami 28-21, while Miami pounded Duke 49-14.

In order for Duke to stretch their winning streak over Virginia to four games, they must find a way to put together a complete 60 minutes of football. The Blue Devils have been inconsistent all season playing inspired for stretches of games but playing flat for stretches as well. Moreover, Duke must prevent Virginia from scoring on explosive plays such as Chris Givens 66 yard touchdown reception that was the difference in the loss to Wake Forest or the three 50+ yard pass completions Florida States’ E.J. Manuel completed in the 1st Quarter against the Blue Devils.

Duke has their back against the wall and must win out to finish 6-6 and gain bowl eligibility. Leaders on both sides of the ball will need to step up and show the youngsters how to win. I believe they will rise up to the challenge and win the game on a last minute Will Snyderwine field goal. Duke 25, Virginia 23

Mike Kline – It is funny to say that the Cavaliers are due a victory against Duke but they really are. I would really like to pick Duke in this game but given the fact that the Cavs have been playing much better this season than any of the previous three season when the Blue Devils won, and they are at home, I’m going with Virginia. That isn’t to say Duke can’t win if they can put together a complete game on both sides of the ball. The Blue Devils have been so inconsistent this year on defense and the offense has taken a few steps backward. If the Duke offense were clicking I’d go with the Blue Devils in this game, but their struggles once again make me think they won’t score enough to win an otherwise close match up. Virginia 28, Duke 20

Standings:
T-1. Andrew
T-1. Bob
3. Patrick -3
4. Guest -4
5. Mark -5

Mark Watson – The Blue Devils continue to get close to victory but they seem to catch teams at the wrong time and that could be the case against Miami coming off a home loss to UVA. In short, the Hurricanes will not overlook Duke. The line favors Miami by 16.5 but we feel Duke will play them closer. The Blue Devils will get another win, just not this weekend. Miami 28, Duke 19

Bob Green - Miami has a potent offense and I present the 21 points they scored in the 4th quarter against Virginia Tech as exhibit one. For exhibit two, I present quarterback Jacory Harris who is second in the ACC in Passing Efficiency with a 161.8 rating, and for exhibit three, I present their balanced attack, which has scored 27 touchdowns with 16 coming via their passing offense and 11 via their rushing offense. To complement the offense, Miami’s defense is ranked number three in the ACC in Scoring Defense allowing 22.1 points per game.

Duke’s defense played an outstanding 60 minutes of football against Virginia Tech and they will need a repeat performance if the Blue Devils are going to travel to Coral Gables and beat the ‘Canes. However, the offense must get on track and score points. Duke is 11th in the ACC and 92nd in the FBS in Scoring Offense averaging 22.9 points per game.

Miami will be fired up to get back on a winning track after being upset by Virginia in their last outing. Duke is a much better team than their 3-5 record indicates, and they will give the ‘Canes a battle for three quarters, but in the end Miami will be too tough for the Blue Devils to handle in the 4th quarter. Miami 34, Duke 23

Patrick Cacchio - It’s only a matter of time until this Duke team breaks through; why not this week? After coming away empty-handed from two solid efforts against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, the Blue Devils are hungry for an upset. The Hurricanes are coming off a disappointing home loss to Virginia and have had 8 days to prepare. Star RB Lamar Miller has fallen short of the 100-yard mark in each of his past three games, and Matt Daniels and the resurgent Duke defense will look to continue that trend. Meanwhile, expect Sean Renfree and the Blue Devil offense to get back on track this week with an aggressive gameplan against a Miami secondary that has only 4 interceptions on the season. As always, the margin for error is small, and the Blue Devils will have to win the explosives battle to stay in it. Expect another big homecoming performance from Varner and Vernon as Duke will shock “The U.” Duke 31, Miami 28

Andrew Slater - The Blue Devils defense stepped up against national power Virginia Tech last week, but Miami will be looking to bounce back for a homecoming victory this Saturday. Jacory Harris and RB Lamar Miller will try to provide the Hurricanes with more of a balanced attack in Coral Gables. Last weekend, Miami’s 6’5″ junior WR, Tommy Streeter, broke out for a career day (176 yards) against UVA. It should be more of a shootout than last weekend. Miami 31 Duke 21.

Terry Rains - Duke’s stay at Heartbreak Hotel continues. While most outlets predict a double digit Miami victory, I think Duke is going to make this a close game – possibly even with a chance to win it late! Miami 30, Duke 27

Standings:
1. Bob
2. Andrew -1
3. Patrick -3
4. Guest -5
5. Mark -6

Mark Watson – Duke is banged up and will face a Virginia Tech team just hitting their stride. It will not be an easy task for the Blue Devils to get it going after a heart-breaking loss to Wake, and there is reason to think the Hokies will run right at the Blue Devils front. The Blue Devils are 3 points from a 5-2 record where the excitement would be fever pitch. I think they’ll give a good effort but in the end Tech will prove to be too much. Virginia Tech 37, Duke 17.

Bob Green - The Blue Devils’ defense better be prepared to stop the run on Saturday when Virginia Tech and the ACC’s leading rusher David Wilson (129.8 ypg) arrive at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Hokies will certainly run the ball repeatedly in order to make Duke prove they can stop the run. Once Duke is focused on the run, Virginia Tech will take a shot over the top to try and burn Duke’s secondary deep.
The key to this game will be how Duke responds after last week’s disappointing loss to Wake Forest. If the Blue Devils come out focused and intent upon playing a full 60 minutes of football, they have the talent to win this game. Unfortunately, my gut feeling is Virginia Tech will prove to be the better team as they squeak out a victory on the road in Durham. Virginia Tech 21, Duke 19

Patrick Cacchio - Duke comes into this game off two disappointing performances against Florida State and Wake Forest. Simply put, the Blue Devils will have to put forth a much better effort against division leader Virginia Tech. Despite their injuries on defense, the Hokies are 7-1 behind strong play from David Wilson and Logan Thomas, two players likely to give the Duke defense fits. The Blue Devils will try to keep this close, but explosive plays will continue to be their Achilles’ heel.
Virginia Tech 35, Duke 17

Andrew Slater - Virginia Tech looks to extend its nation’s leading ten-game road streak this weekend as they travel to Durham to take on the Blue Devils. The Hokies feature one of the best running backs in the nation in blazing fast David Wilson. Wilson has already accumulated over 1,000 yards on the ground and helped his team control the time of possession, which the Hokies have the second highest in the country (averaging 34:34 per game). Defensively, the Hokies are stout once again, getting a very good pass rush and averaging in the top ten in scoring defense (16.1 ppg). Duke QB Sean Renfree has been highly accurate this season, but I expect that the Hokies pass defense will be able to pressure him and throw off his timing. The Devils will also have plenty of difficulty running the ball against one of the best rushing defense units in the country. Virginia Tech, 34 Duke 17.

Gobbler Country - I think this is a good match-up for Tech. The potential loss of Alonzo Tweedy at whip doesn’t hurt as much against a team like Duke that likes to throw. Duke’s going to do all it can to take away the run game, but I think the Hokies will find ways to move the ball through the air. Virginia Tech 35, Duke 10.

Mark Watson - FIU got caught looking ahead last week and lost their first game of the season.  Duke must be on their toes at all times, for FIU is all about the big play.  Duke has now gained confidence, but Renfree will not have as much time as he did against Tulane.  The Blue Devils will go all out in that they have a bye week coming and that effort will help them to their third straight victory.  Duke 34, FIU 28.

Bob Green - FIU will test the Duke defense with their team speed, but the Blue Devils’ overall superior talent level will persevere.  On offense, Duke will look to strike hard early, and achieve balance by mixing some runs and multiple short passes with long throws to deep threat Conner Vernon.  A key statistic to keep an eye on is Time of Possession as through four games Duke is ranked #7 in the FBS at 34:29, while FIU is #104 at 27:06.  With Lee Butler unavailable due to injury, true freshman Jamison Crowder will handle punt return duties in addition to his normal role returning kick-offs.  Before this season is over, I expect Crowder to break out with a big return or two and this weekend in Miami would be a great time for Crowder to shine.   Duke 27, FIU 21

Patrick Cacchio - ESPNU was wise to televise this game, as it should be both entertaining and competitive. Both offenses feature explosive talents that are likely to put up points on the board. The Blue Devil defense is playing with renewed confidence after two victories, while the Golden Panthers will look to fight back from a disappointing conference loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Uncle Mo is on the Duke side, and it should be enough to carry the Blue Devils into their off week at 3-2 behind another strong performance by Sean Renfree.  Duke 31, FIU 27

Andrew Slater – Florida International will look to get back on track as they take on the Blue Devils for their homecoming game. Their two offensive stars, QB Wes Carroll and WR Ty Hilton, were banged up last week against Louisiana, but are supposed to be healthy enough to go against their second BCS opponent of the season. Hilton was impressive earlier in the season when he racked up 201 yards against Louisville on national television, while the senior Carroll broke many of the school’s passing records on last season’s bowl run. Last week, RB Kedrick Rhodes stepped up and tried to fill the void by rushing for 157 yards in FIU’s first loss of the season. Defensively, they should be concerned about Duke’s resurgent passing attack, which is now averaging over 300 yards per game. QB Sean Renfree has been able to pick apart defenses by throwing short, accurate (72.7% completion percentage) passes to his tough and relatively deep receiving corps. RB Juwan Thompson distinguished himself last week by averaging nearly five yards per carry and getting his first two TDs of the season. The season-ending injury to Kenny Anunike will be a big one as he helped Duke finally establish a consistent pass rush and was the ACC’s sack leader through the first four games. Matt Daniels, the team’s leading tackler, will need to rally the troops and keep the momentum moving forward in South Florida. Even without their two stars, this dangerous FIU team was able to score 31 points last week. FIU 31, Duke 28.

Abraham Kromah - FIU will look to put pressure on Sean Renfree after his most recent performance against Tulane and it will be up to the Blue Devils’ offensive line to neutralize it. If this happens Duke will have a field day, considering the defense is really coming into their own. Senior Safety Matt Daniels is playing like a Thorpe Award finalists and will not allow a pass to be completed nor a run to break for more than 7 yards as he looks to lead the Duke defense to it’s third straight victory. Look for former all-conference receiver Don Varner to have a breakout game, assuming FIU will spend most of their time double covering Vernon (after his stellar performance last week). Duke 28, FIU 10‘

Here are our standings after one week of our college football picks:

The week 2 slate is highlighted by Alabama’s trip to Penn State to take on JoePa and the Nittany Lions. BYU traveled to Ole Miss and came away with a tough road win last week against an SEC opponent, and will have another challenge as they take on Texas in week two. After some week 1 blowouts, many BCS teams will face their first BCS opponent in week 2, which is always a recipe for an upset. The SEC kicks off their conference season with Mississippi State traveling to defending national champion Auburn, who escaped a week 1 scare from Utah State. The marquee SEC game will feature Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks traveling to Georgia in what many consider a must-win game for Mark Richt and UGA. The ACC conference opener features an in-state match-up between NC State and Wake Forest. College football is in full swing!

This week, we welcome in veteran Duke writer, Al Featherston.  Al is one of the most knowledgeable folks out there when it comes to Duke and sports in general.  His work can be found at GoDuke.com and the ACC Sports Journal and he writes previews for Blue Ribbon.  Last week, our guest, Bob Harris, tied Patrick and Mark and they are glad somebody stumbled along with them.  Again, we pick the ten toughest games each week, so no gimmes here!

Mark Watson - Duke will try and stave off an Alabama like defeat against Stanford.  When talking the Cardinal, one thinks of Andrew Luck, the nations top QB.  However, Stanford is littered with offensive stars and that’ll prove to be the difference. I do think  Coach Cut will right the ship, but it will not be this week.  Duke is simply too young on the defensive front to challenge Stanford.  Stanford 42, Duke 17

Bob Green - Duke will recover from their opening night stumble and play sound fundamental football against Stanford.  The game plan will look to involve Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner early and often as Coach Cutcliffe realizes he has to have the ball in the hands of his primary play-makers.  Unfortunately, the Blue Devils just don’t have the horses to compete with the Cardinal so they come up short and fall to 0-2.  Stanford 47, Duke 24

Patrick Cacchio - The Blue Devils will put together a better effort than in week one, but it will still come up woefully short against #6 Stanford. Andrew Luck will pick apart the Duke secondary with his deep group of talented receivers, particularly at tight end, which will cause significant match-up problems. With a banged up group of running backs, Duke will have to try to stretch the field and use some tricks to move the ball consistently against a Stanford defense that has yet to give up a touchdown. Expect a slightly more competitive game than a year ago against Alabama, but the Blue Devils ultimately won’t be able to keep it within three scores. Stanford 45, Duke 16

Andrew Slater - While targeting primarily WR Chris Owusu and TE Coby Fleener, marksman QB Andrew Luck should have a field day with the Duke defense and look to develop some Heisman highlights. Given the likely blowout, Stanford will be able to work in some of its young receivers and get them reps against BCS competition. Defensively, they continued last year’s stout run defense (120 yds per game) by limiting their opening week opponent San Jose St. to 27 yards on the ground. Against Duke’s banged up running back corps, the Cardinal staff will be able to concentrate on using LB Skov and SS Howell to mitigate the impact of Duke’s relatively good receivers. Stanford 38 Duke 17

Al Featherston – I’d like to think it will be closer, but after last weekend, it’s hard to be optimistic … I think the Duke offense will have some success, but I don’t see how the Blue Devil defense can even slow Andrew Luck and company. The best hope is that there will be enough positives in this game to carry Duke’s young players into the next week’s game with a beatable Boston College team. Last year’s loss to Alabama left the staff and the team shell-shocked — it showed the next week against Army. It’s hard to imagine an upset — it would be monumental, the biggest Duke win since Clemson in 1989. More realistic would be a better showing than against Alabama last year. Stanford is where Duke wants to be … but the Cardinal are 3-5 years ahead of the Devils in the climb toward the top.   Stanford 47, Duke 24