Staff Predictions for FSU-Duke

Florida State has never lost a football game to Duke. Even in its darkest years, FSU was able to notch double-digit point victories against helpless Blue Devil teams. As crazy as it may seem, 2017 might be the best chance for the streak to end.

An already humbled Florida State squad travels into Durham missing its starting quarterback, a wide receiver, a guard, and a safety. That doesn’t negate the overwhelming talent advantage the Seminoles possess, but it certainly doesn’t produce confidence for a 1-3 team. Starting slow on the road could be a death knell for the Seminoles as it currently stands.

That being said, Duke hasn’t been very convincing either. After a 4-0 start, it appears that the Blue Devils may have been “fools gold”. They’ve lost back-to-back games against Miami and Virginia. In each of those contests, their offense was completely rattled. It’d be unwise to doubt head coach Dave Cutcliffe, but it’d be even more unwise to think the Blue Devils are anything more than the underdog.

We here at The Daily Nole will tell you exactly what we think will go down on Saturday. This week’s predictions are done by editor Mike Ferguson, staff writer Clint Eiland, site manager Edwin Collins, staff writer Josh Mixon and recruiting analyst Jay Brading.

Mike: Despite a slew of injuries, Florida State comes into this contest with a significant talent advantage over Duke. The Blue Devils however, are not to be slept on. On top of that, there are serious questions as to how motivated FSU will be after starting 1-3 and coming off a heartbreaking loss to Miami. I’m still picking the Seminoles, 23-13.

Clint: How exactly Florida State will get itself motivated for this game is a question not many are prepared to answer. That being said, the Seminoles still have two great running backs along with a quarterback who has shown flashes of brilliance. They should do fine offensively against Duke. Defensively, they aren’t “bad” but they have glaringly obvious weak spots. I think Daniel Jones exploits those weak spots and keeps this game close into the third quarter. Eventually FSU pulls away and comes back to Tallahassee in hopes of preparing for its first home win. 31-17, Florida State.

Edwin: With the rumor of locker room issues, there is real question as to how together Florida State really is. Duke pulls it out 24-19. This will be Duke’s first win ever over FSU.

Josh: Where do I really begin? Florida State has yet to play up to its talent level in 2017, but we’ve all heard that enough — so I’ll spare you all the dead horse-beating we’ve endured week after week with this team. Truth be told, I really have no idea which FSU team we’ll see on Saturday. A noon EST kickoff on the road is never a good spot to be in, especially after an emotional loss at home to your second-biggest rival for the first time in eight years. Then again, Duke’s offense is its weakness, which doesn’t exactly help. Per usual, FSU will struggle early on offense and leave at least 21 points in the red zone, but Duke’s lackluster offense won’t be able to move the ball either. Because of that, I’ll say FSU wins this one quite handily, 31-10.

Jay: I think the running game will get FSU at least one touchdown and James Blackman plays very well. The defense should be stout for the most part. This team is tough to predict and currently lacks an identity. We’ll see if this is the week that changes. FSU 27, Duke 13.