Duke vs Northwestern Picks and Prediction – 9/7/2024

In Friday night college football action, the Duke Blue Devils will travel to Martin Stadium to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Make sure you are ready for all the football action with our college football picks. The Blue Devils are looking to replace a lot of key pieces from a team that won eight games and watched as head coach Mike Elko departed for the greener pastures of Texas A&M. Last week, Duke pitched a shutout for three quarters and limited Elon to 140 yards of total offense during a 26-3 home victory. 

Texas transfer QB Malik Murphy showed out his Duke debut with 291 passing yards and two touchdowns. WR Jordan Moore contributed a game-high 112 receiving yards for the Blue Devils, who recorded eight sacks on the evening. 

The Northwestern Wildcats finished the 2023 season with four straight victories and head coach David Braun was rewarded by having the interim tag removed. The Wildcats need to improve an offense that ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten Conference and managed just 22.1 points per game. Last week, Northwestern rushed for 150 yards and overcame two turnovers during a 13-6 home victory versus Miami (OH).

Vanderbilt transfer QB Mike Wright shined in his Northwestern debut with 65 rushing yards and a touchdown. Wright threw for 178 yards and found senior WR Bryce Kirtz six times for a game-high 91 yards. 

Duke dominated Northwestern during a 38-14 home victory a season ago, but a lot has changed since then. Both teams figure to struggle in the trenches and will have a hard time being relevant in their respective conference. Look for Duke to do enough on the road to pull out the win in a game that stays under the total. Final Score Prediction, Duke Blue Devils win 19-14.