NC State vs. Duke Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 7

The alarm clock finally went off and woke the Duke Blue Devils up from their dream season. After a 4-0 start, they blew a late lead against Notre Dame in Week 5 and now sit 4-1 and at No. 17 in the country.

That’s still a great start, but they’ll need to get back in the win column after the bye week to preserve a shot at the ACC title. 

The NC State Wolfpack don’t seem to have much of a shot at the title after starting 4-2. They’re 1-1 in ACC play, and last week they handed the keys to MJ Morris at quarterback, benching UVA transfer Brennan Armstrong. This will be a key conference matchup in Week 7, and if you want a look around the country this week, check out BetSided college football betting expert Reed Wallach’s weekly column and preview. 

When you’re betting this college football matchup, or any game on the Week 7 CFB slate, make sure to take advantage of this great promo from the PointsBet Sportsbook. Sign up below to receive up to $1,000 in second chance bets. 

NC State vs. Duke Odds, Spread and Total

Duke and NC State Betting Trends

• Duke is 3-2 ATS
• The OVER is 2-2-1 in Duke games
• NC State is 1-4-1 ATS
• The UNDER is 4-2 in NC State games

NC State vs. Duke How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, October 14
• Time: 8:00 PM EST
• Venue: Wallace Wade Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): ACCN
• NC State Record: 4-2
• Duke Record: 4-1

NC State vs. Duke Key Players to Watch

NC State

MJ Morris, QB: In an effort to save their season, the Wolfpack have turned to MJ Morris at quarterback and have benched Brennan Armstrong. Morris’s first start was last week against Marshall and he threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-32 passing, but had three interceptions in the 48-41 win. 

Duke

Riley Leonard, QB: It was his biggest test of the season, and last game against Notre Dame Riley Leonard didn’t really come through as a passer. He finished the game 12-for-27 for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was great on the ground, running for 88 yards on 18 carries to lead the team. Leonard is one of the best QBs in the ACC, but his last game wasn’t pretty. 

NC State vs. Duke Prediction and Pick

NC State’s offense has big problems, and I’m not sure MJ Morris will be able to solve them. Sure, he led the offense to 48 points against Marshall, but his three interceptions really take away from the performance.

Turnovers were a big problem for NC State with Armstrong at QB, the Wolfpack are averaging 1.5 interceptions a game which ranks 102nd in the country. Armstrong threw six to just five touchdowns in his time at QB.  

Duke’s defense isn’t one that relies on takeaways, but the Blue Devils are stout. They rank 15th in yards per play, allowing just 4.5 and are seventh in passing defense. That should be enough to slow down Morris though he did average 8.3 yards per attempt last week.

If they do get a takeaway or two, then this game could get out of hand in Duke's favor.

I think facing Duke will be a whole different story than facing Marshall, and I also expect the Blue Devils to bounce back on offense themselves. Riley Leonard wasn’t very good against Notre Dame, except for what he did running the ball. However, his offense still ranks 38th in yards per play and 16th in yards per rush.

It will be on Leonard to use his arm more than his legs because NC State is 17th in rushing defense and 87th against the pass, but I trust him to do that and to cover this spread as a slight home favorite. 

Duke is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 and NC State is 2-7-1 ATS in that same stretch. I’ll trust that trend and take the Blue Devils. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change