The Duke Blue Devils will host the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, setting up a battle of two ACC teams that are 2-2 in conference play. The Blue Devils avoided a three-game losing streak by squeaking past Virginia on the road last week, while the Eagles notched a second straight win by stomping Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Duke is a 7-point home favorite on Saturday with -278 moneyline odds, while Boston College has +225 moneyline odds. The game total for the conference showdown is set at 47.5 points. Here is a preview of the Week 9 contest featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Boston College Eagles Preview
Duke
The Blue Devils had a stellar September, beating Tulane before notching a massive win at Illinois, then blowing out both Stanford and William & Mary. Entering October, Duke was just two spots out of the AP top 25. But following their bye, they lost 28-25 at Georgia Tech and fell 24-20 to their archrival North Carolina. The Blue Devils managed to bounce back in Week 8, beating Virginia thanks to a touchdown with 1:14 left on the clock.
Running back Nate Sheppard is the one who threw that touchdown, keeping his Heisman hopes alive. The sophomore leads the ACC with 875 rushing yards and 153 carries, on top of his 270 yards on 30 receptions. His 13 touchdowns from scrimmage are also the most in the conference, and that doesn’t even include his passing touchdown. As for Duke’s actual quarterback, Walker Eget averages 205.7 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns, three interceptions and a 133.7 passer rating. The San Jose State transfer has only taken two sacks all season, which makes him one of the best in the nation at managing pressure.
Beyond Sheppard and tight end Jeremiah Hasley’s production in the passing game, receivers Jonah Burton and Jared Richardson are both over 200 receiving yards each. On the other side of the ball, defensive ends Tyshon Reed and Kevin O’Connor have 11.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks combined.
Duke ranks No. 62 in points per game, but No. 40 in total offense. Their defense allows the 22nd-fewest yards per game and the 17th-fewest points allowed per game in the country, all while tying for No. 95 in turnovers forced. In the opponent-adjusted SP+ efficiency metric, the Blue Devils boast the No. 44 defense, No. 50 offense and No. 72 special teams – good for No. 47 overall.
Boston College
After losing 34-15 at Cincinnati to open the season, the Eagles had a run of tight contests that lasted over a month. BC beat Rutgers by seven and Maine by six before losing to Virginia Tech by a touchdown. They even kept it within nine points at then-No. 21 SMU before beating Pittsburgh 27-21. Boston College finally broke through with a 49-27 win at Georgia Tech, marking their most points against an FBS opponent since 2019.
Mason McKenzie hasn’t exactly lit it up as the Eagles’ quarterback, passing for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has a 57.8% completion percentage with 194.7 passing yards per game and a 126.4 passer rating. The Saginaw Valley State transfer has been effective with his legs, though, rushing for 614 yards and five touchdowns. That makes McKenzie Boston College’s leading rusher, with Evan Dickens sitting at 293 and Bo MacCormack III at 244. They each have four touchdowns on the ground, as well. Dickens is out for the season with a knee injury, however, leaving MacCormack as the go-to back.
In the passing game, Javarius Green, John Montague, Landon Wright and Dawson Pough are all between 180 and 286 receiving yards. But while Green has 26 catches through seven games, no one else has more than 12. The Eagles have a few defensive players stuffing the stat sheet, too. Linebacker Anthony Palano and safety KP Price co-lead the ACC with 33 solo tackles each, as well as combining for five interceptions. Cornerback Charlie Comella has four picks – including a pick six – while Palano and defensive end Demetrius Ballard have 7.5 and 7.0 tackles for loss, respectively.
Boston College ranks No. 63 in scoring defense and No. 96 in scoring offense. On defense, the Eagles rank No. 43 in yards allowed per play and No. 48 in yards allowed per game while forcing the 15th-most turnovers. Their offense, meanwhile, ranks No. 72 in yards per play and No. 81 in yards per game. They have the No. 59 defense, No. 91 offense and No. 101 special teams in SP+, which slots them in at No. 78 overall.
Duke vs. Boston College Pick, Best Bet
The Blue Devils have only won by a touchdown or more in two of their six games against FBS opponents this season. Their only times doing so came against teams outside the SP+ top 100, too. I trust Boston College to win the turnover battle and keep this one relatively close, as they have against every game since Week 2. Their worst loss in that stretch came at an SMU team that is 26 points higher than Duke in the SP+, and even that was only by nine points. And for as messy as the transitive game can get, the Eagles won by 22 at Georgia Tech, while the Blue Devils lost by three in that same scenario.
