Free NCAA Football Prediction: Cavaliers vs. Blue Devils Odds
Looking for Virginia Cavaliers vs. Duke Blue Devils free picks? College football betting sees the Cavaliers taking on the Blue Devils on Saturday, October 1st at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 5 predictions like this UVA-Duke free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 5
(2-2) Virginia Cavaliers vs. Duke Blue Devils (3-1)
Date: Saturday, October 1st, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Wallace James Stadium, Durham, NC
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: UVA +2.5 | DUKE -2.5 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Cavs +220 | Blue Devils -275
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 51.5
The Virginia Cavaliers will take the three hour trip down US-15 to Durham and take on the Duke Blue Devls from Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke comes into this conference matchup as the two-point favorites, with the total opening at 49.5.
HISTORY: Virginia and Duke have cross paths in nearly every season since 1961. The Blue Devils dominated the head to head meetings early, but the Cavaliers hold a 40-33 all-time series lead, after posting a 16-6 matchup record since the year 2000.
Virginia Cavaliers
Inconsistency has plagued Virginia’s season early. They defeated in-state foes Richmond and Old Dominion, but they’ve faltered twice on the road in as many tries thus far. The Cavaliers struggled in their Week 2 lost to Illinois, only producing three points. Now despite that low output, the Wahoos nearly pulled off an impressive win in a hostile environment last Saturday, providing a bit of optimism going forward.
Last weekend, Virginia loss to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, 22-20, making use of the nine-point underdog spread and covering for the first time this season.
Brennan Armstrong set school records in Bronco Mendenhall’s Air Raid last season, but things have started a lot slower this year. The fifth-year senior found himself in no mans-land against Illinois, completing a career-low 40% of his passes, while taking five sacks. He also had a tough time against Syracuse, and the offensive line has to improve swiftly if they want to keep their star QB upright.
Armstong is up to 848 passing yards with three touchdowns to four interceptions through the first month of the season.
Perris Jones has come in and received the majority of the work early. The senior back from Alexandria gained 118 yards in the win over Richmond, and he performed well last weekend against the Orange, rushing for 87 yards, including a 28-yard score. Jones leads UVA with 273 rushing yards.
UVA still possess one of the better four-wideout sets in the country. Swiss-army knife Keytaon Thompson led the team in catches last season, and he’s on pace to do so again with a team-lead 26 receptions through the first four games. Dontayvion Wicks recorded a 1200-yard season in 2022, and he’s got 17 catches for 197 yards thus far.
Virginia’s defense has quietly fought well through the first month of the season, only allowing 19.2 points per game.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke began their season with a pair of notable non-conference victories over Temple and Northwestern. The Blue Devils shut out the Owls in their home opener, before traveling and defeating the Wildcats. Mike Elko‘s team followed those wins up by hammering on in-state foe NC&T, and they had the task of ending the slate in a highly anticipated battle of blues.
Last weekend, Duke loss to fellow blue blood Kansas in Lawrence, 35-27, missing the margin by just one point for the second week in a row.
Riley Leonard has brought life to the quarterback position at Duke. The sophomore signal caller has been accurate and impressive in his first four starts. Leonard had a productive game against AT&T, going 11-12 and scoring four total touchdowns (2 pass, 2 rush), and he performed well versus KU, tossing for 324 yards and a touchdown.
Leonard threw 1,047 passing yards with six touchdowns to two interceptions, while rushing for 201 yards and two scores thus far.
There’s been a collective effort to replace star running back Mateo Durant. Jaylen Coleman and Justin Waters have split the touches early, with the latter leading the team with 215 rushing yards. Coleman has rushed for an identical 211 yards, while scoring in each of Duke’s first four games.
Jalon Calhoun is on pace to lead the Blue Devils in receiving for a second straight season, and he’s caught 17 passes for a team-lead 291 yards through three games. Former quarterback Jordan Moore has stepped up at the position, leading Duke with 20 receptions and three touchdowns.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- UVA are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- DUKE are 3-3 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Cavaliers are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 road games.
- Blue Devils are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Free Week 5 NCAA Football Final Analysis:
While it’s not the South’s Oldest Rivalry, nor will it be marquee matchup it is on the basketball court, this Virginia/Duke game should be a good one. Despite the final result, UVA showed signs of life in the Carrier Dome last weekend. They still have major issues in the trenches to address, but they’ve got a talented quarterback in Brennan Armstrong so they will have a chance every time out.
Duke is also in good hands with Riley Leonard. The sophomore quarterback showed a lot of fight in a very hostile environment, and we like him following up that performance with a strong one here. With such a manageable three-point margin, it feels like Duke gets the job done here and gets back in the win column.
Take Duke’s three-point spread Saturday night, and give the over a look as well with both quarterbacks capable of producing.
4* Free Week 5 NCAA Betting Pick: Duke -2.5
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