The Duke football program will close out its regular season today at home against Wake Forest (8-3, 4-3 ACC). The Blue Devils are already bowl-eligible at 6-5 overall following a road victory over North Carolina last weekend, but despite sitting with five losses, there are still a couple of scenarios where Duke could find itself in the ACC Championship game. If Virginia and SMU both win, that sets the conference title matchup in stone. However, if the Blue Devils can finish the regular season out with a win to improve to 6-2 in ACC action, they can still feasibly make the ACC Championship. Do they deserve it? Maybe not. But will Duke fans still take it? Absolutely.
If the hectic ACC continues its makeup that it's displayed this season and the Blue Devils somehow make the ACC Championship, the debates over the Blue Devils' potential College Football Playoff spot with five losses would be hilarious. It's obviously one heck of a long shot, but who knows. First, the Blue Devils have to take down the Demon Deacons and close the campaign out at 7-5 and 6-2 in conference play.
Duke football vs. Wake Forest final betting odds and a prediction
Duke vs. Wake Forest final betting odds
According to FanDuel, Duke is a 2.5-point favorite (-106) over the Demon Deacons, while Wake Forest is a 2.5-point underdog (-114). The Blue Devils' moneyline is set at -122, with Wake's at +104. The total points Over/Under for the contest is set at 53.5
Duke vs. Wake Forest prediction
The Demon Deacons are riding a three-game win streak that includes a 16-9 victory over Virginia. Wake Forest hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 14 points in any of its last three contests, including allowing just nine to the Cavaliers, who scored 34 on Duke. Although, the Blue Devils are the fifth-highest scoring team in the ACC, averaging 33.3 points per game. The Blue Devils have scored under 20 points just three times this season, and with a potential conference title game in the realm of reality, Duke will be pushing for a win to close out the regular season at home.
Final score prediction: Duke wins 31-19