Blue Devils Will Struggle Without Quarterback

Duke vs. Ole Miss, 7:30 ET

Duke vs. Ole Miss, 7:30 ET
 

We’ve made it past the first round of the most exciting games of the New Year and are headed into the ones that are a little less intriguing, but still have some flare. The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl isn’t exactly the one you are looking to get into when your football season starts, but I think both teams are fairly pleased that they get another game before the end of the year. Tonight, Duke takes on Ole Miss and we are going to figure out the right way to bet on this one.

Duke had a nice season with a 9-3 record, and their losses were fairly explainable. They first fell to Georgia Tech, not the greatest team, but keep in mind this is the one that gave a fierce battle to Georgia. The other two losses were against ranked opponents. SMU and Miami were the teams that beat the Blue Devils. In the first one, against SMU, they fell in overtime 28-27. We’ve already seen that SMU may have been a bit overrated, at least against the best teams in the country. Duke went for a two-point conversion in overtime and missed it, resulting in the loss. Who knows what would’ve happened if they just kicked the ball and went for another overtime? The next game was against Miami, and they were blown out. Miami has a great offense, but Duke played fairly well, losing 53-31. Duke handled their business against everyone else. The biggest issue is that their starting quarterback from this season, Maalik Murphy, has entered into the transfer portal and won’t be in this game. 

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – NOVEMBER 02: Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels walks off the field after a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Rebels defeated the Razorbacks 63-31.  (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Ole Miss had a great season as well, and just barely missed out on the College Football Playoffs. They have some concerning losses. They fell to Kentucky, LSU, and Florida. The loss against Kentucky is the one that stands out the most to me as the biggest concern. They dropped that game 20-17 on their home field. The game against LSU they lost in overtime, but at least that was to a ranked opponent and on the road. The game that ultimately cost them a chance at the college football playoffs is the loss to Florida in their second to last game of the season. It was the ultimate let-down spot after beating a great Georgia team the week prior. Then to go on and lose to an average Florida team was a big disappointment. The good news in this one is that Jaxon Dart is going to play for the Rebels. He has been one of the better quarterbacks in the game. They are also likely to have just about every starter available for this game.

There is something to be said for the continuity. I suppose the Duke team will continue to be successful with the new guy under center. Based on his stats it seems like Henry Belin is better as a runner than a thrower. I’m not sure that does much for the Blue Devils other than keep the clock running which would make me lean toward taking the 17 points as this line keeps growing higher and higher. I will take the Blue Devils to go under their 17.5 team total. I also lean toward Ole Miss going over 34.5 points, but that is with less confidence.