Florida State has the more talented team and should win this game, but it’s fair to wonder where the Seminoles are mentally at this point. Duke had some nice wins early on but hasn’t played as well of late. The Blue Devils could get a huge boost in their hopes of making a bowl game by capturing this victory.
This contest in Week 7 of the regular season will go down Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 12 p.m. ET at Wallace Wade Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State -7
Duke +7
Over/Under 43.5
Odds Analysis
The Seminoles are the favorites, but not overwhelmingly so. The bettors are believing that their talent will win out in this one as more than 76 percent of the money is on Florida State to cover.
The scoring total is really low, but it went up a half-point recently and could increase more if the “over” continues to get the majority of the action. Florida State is a -265 favorite on the moneyline while Duke is listed at +218 to pull the upset at home.
Key Stat
Three. That was Florida State’s preseason ranking heading into the season. The Seminoles have fallen
well short of living up to that early ranking this season, which is a huge disappointment.
The team’s only win this season came against Wake Forest on September 30th. It’s season opener loss to No. 1 Alabama wasn’t surprising but the losses to NC State and No. 13 Miami certainly were. Florida State has lost its past two games by a combined 10 points, but close doesn’t matter much to a team that was planning on rolling past wide swaths of foes on its way to a College Football Playoff berth.
The team is experiencing an unusual down year and no one saw it coming. In fact, this is FSU’s worst start in more than four decades.
Player To Watch
James Blackman — Florida State’s true freshman quarterback inherited a tough position this season. He became the starter when sophomore Deondre Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Week 1 loss to Alabama and was instantly thrust into the role of commanding a team with high expectations under a very bright spotlight.
And, despite all that, Blackman has performed pretty well since taking over the reins. He has had his share of rookie mistakes, like the two interceptions last week against Miami but has also proven he can make the throws the offense needs him to.
Through three games, Blackman is 50-of-87 for 602 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. This weekend is an opportunity for the young player to turn in a strong performance and increase his confidence level and he needs to take advantage of it.
Free ATS Pick
Florida State knows it isn’t going to live up to the lofty preseason hype, but there is still plenty to play for. If it can get back on track a nice bowl game awaits, and for all of the upperclassmen, they want to show that they can perform well in order to get drafted into the NFL.
Duke is a decent team that already has wins over Baylor, North Carolina and Northwestern this season. Even though the Seminoles have struggled, they are finally going to put it together in this one.
Take Florida State to grab the win easily and cover the spread.
College Football Odds: Florida State 31, Duke 14
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