It’s Thursday, September 5th and we’ve got Week 2 action on the slate beginning with Friday’s tilt between the Duke Blue Devils and the Northwestern Wildcats.
This is a non-conference meeting between the two programs. Duke is 1-0 this season. They opened the 2024 campaign with a 26-3 win over Elon. The Blue Devils (8-5 in 2023) capped last season with a 17-10 win over Troy in the 76 Birmingham Bowl.
Northwestern is also 1-0 after a 13-6 Week 1 victory versus Miami (OH). The Wildcats (8-5 in 2023) ended last season with a 14-7 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, live odds from BetMGM, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to watch Duke vs. Northwestern:
· Date: Friday, September 6th, 2024
· Time: 9:00 PM EST
· Site: Martin Stadium
· City: Evanston, Illinois
· TV/Streaming: FS1
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Latest Game odds for Duke vs. Northwestern
The latest odds as of Friday morning via BetMGM:
· Moneyline: Duke (+115), Northwestern (-135)
· Spread: Wildcats -2.5 (-115)
· Total: 37 points
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
The odds for this game opened at Northwestern -3 (-105) with an over/under of 39.5 points. The total has dropped to 37.5 primarily because both teams allowed nine combined points in their Week 1 victories over Elon and Miami (OH) while also not generating an overwhelming amount of offense themselves.
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From the Trading Desk at BetMGM courtesy of John Ewing: National Championship
Line movement (Last Week to Now)
- Georgia +300 to +280
- Alabama +1500 to +1200
- Notre Dame +2000 to +1600
Highest Ticket%
- Ohio State 18.0%
- Georgia 12.0%
- Texas 7.9%
Highest Handle%
- Ohio State 23.2%
- Georgia 17.9%
- Texas 8.3%
Listen to the B1G Talk podcast with Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle for the most compelling storylines across all of college football, with the biggest teams on the rise and the latest rankings!
Quarterback matchup for Duke vs. Northwestern
Both teams broke in new starting quarterbacks in Week 1.
Northwestern: Mike Wright (29.4 QBR) led Northwestern in passing and rushing (243 yards, 1 TD) in the Week 1 win over Miami (OH). Wright is a former Vanderbilt and Mississippi State quarterback who is likely to lead the Wildcats in rushing and passing if he stays healthy for the season. Wright has thrown for over 2,600 yards in his college career and rushed for over 1,200.
Duke: Malik Murphy (34.7 QBR) did all his damage through the air (291 pass yards, 2 TDs to 1 INT) in his debut with Duke. Murphy is a Texas transfer who was highly recruited but was outplayed at Texas by Quinn Ewers. Murphy only threw 71 passes at Texas (40 completed, 56.3%) and recorded three touchdowns, three interceptions, and 477 yards over two starts (six games total).
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of the Blue Devils vs. Wildcats
· Duke gained 350 total yards in the win over Elon and the defense allowed a mere 140 total yards with only 30 yards coming on the ground.
· Duke is adjusting to life after head coach Mike Elko and quarterback Riley Leonard. The Blue Devils were expected to be atop the ACC this season until those two changes shifted Duke’s direction.
· Northwestern totaled 328 total yards and permitted 267 to Miami (OH) in the Week 1 win. There were four turnovers in that game and seven total penalties, so it wasn’t the cleanest effort from the Wildcats at home.
· Northwestern entered the season with a projected win total of 4.5, so not much is expected from the Wildcats in a newly formed Big Ten conference. With a win here and next week versus Eastern Illinois, however, the Wildcats would be two wins away from hitting the Over. A loss here and it’s likely Northwestern doesn’t see five wins this season, though, with a difficult road ahead in the Big Ten.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
NBC Sports Betting Analyst Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) has the following best bets for Friday’s matchup between the Blue Devils and Wildcats in Week 2:
“In Duke and Northwestern’s Week 1 victories, both rush defenses stood strong. Elon recorded 0.8 yards per carry at Duke, while Miami (OH) posted 1.7 ypc at Northwestern, so we know both defenses will specialize in stopping the run moving forward, but how about the quarterbacks?
Both teams broke in new starting quarterbacks during Week 1 and it was clear that neither can be trusted. The two offenses combined for 10-of-26 on third downs (38.4%) and ranked 104th and 82nd respectively in passing efficiency after Week 1.
The best bet is the Under 37.5 which has moved from the opening line of 39.5. Both teams should struggle to score more than two touchdowns.”
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