It’s the final home game of the 2024 season for NC State, which needs one more win to get bowl eligible. The Wolfpack is a small favorite to get the job done against Duke, which comes in losers of two straight.
The Blue Devils have been difficult to pin down this season, and credit to them for taking advantage of a forgiving schedule to get to 6-3, but they’ve not been especially impressive in getting there. Duke has been involved in a lot of close games, winning in OT at Northwestern, beating UConn by five, UNC by one, and FSU by seven. The Blue Devils also have a one-point overtime loss to SMU—a respectable outcome if you ignore the fact that Duke was +6 in turnovers in that one.
The Blue Devils have been blessed by the turnover gods this season, finishing even or better in turnover margin in six of nine games, and their +10 margin ranks seventh nationally. They’ve recovered 16 of 25 fumbles (including fumbles on offense), which is a fortunate percentage.
Duke figures to be a tough out but probably isn’t going to put up a ton of points, especially if NC State takes care of the ball.