Duke vs Northwestern - Quick Thoughts and Score Prediction

QUICK THOUGHTS 

Duke hits the road for its first away game of the season, traveling to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern under the Friday night lights with a 9 PM kickoff (so grab your caffeine!).  This will be the fourth consecutive matchup between the two teams, with Duke taking the win in the last three meetings. Northwestern, fresh off a 13-6 victory over Miami (OH), will look to flip the script as both teams enter the game at 1-0.

Personally, I'd love to see a Northwestern field goal attempt go wide, catch some air, and splash into Lake Michigan!  Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but possibly seeing the views of Chicago’s skyline and the lake during game breaks will definitely provide a stunning backdrop for what promises to be an exciting showdown.

SCORE PREDICTION

As of now, Northwestern is a -2.5 favorite over Duke, with the over/under set at 37.5 points.  I’m betting Duke comes out firing through the air, and fingers crossed we see some improvement in the run game.  But with this temporary stadium perched right next to Lake Michigan, could the wind become a wild card—especially for the passing and kicking game?  Who knows!  Despite that, I’m taking the under and backing Duke to pull off the win and start the season 2-0.


DUKE  24
NORTHWESTERN 10