Prior to each Duke football game, beat writers Evan Kolin, Shane Smith, Jake Piazza, Max Rego and Cam Polo will make their predictions for the contest, and we’ll track their records throughout the season. Here are their takes on the Blue Devils’ matchup with No. 9 Miami, which pits the Hurricanes as a 15-point favorite.
Evan Kolin: Miami 42-10
This one could get ugly really quickly. The Blue Devils surrendered 56 points last weekend to a 3-5 Georgia Tech squad, and now they'll be matching up against one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the Hurricanes' D'Eriq King. Expect the Houston transfer to dominate both through the air and on the ground, and for Miami to roll right past Duke at Wallace Wade.
Shane Smith: Miami 48-16
The Blue Devils defeated Miami in their season-finale last year, but this matchup should be a different story with both programs continuing to trend in opposite directions. King is a true star at quarterback for the Hurricanes and is yet another dual-threat who can give Duke problems with his versatility running the ball. With Miami needing this win to stay alive in the ACC Championship race, I expect the Hurricanes to pull away in the second half for the victory.
Jake Piazza: Miami 41-17
Miami is going to be too much for this lackluster Duke team to handle. I’m expecting to see the turnover chain a fair amount as well as a huge day for King, leading to a convincing win for the Hurricanes as they attempt to sneak into the College Football Playoff.
Max Rego: Miami 41-16
While Duke has won two straight in the series, Miami is a completely different team with King under center. The Hurricanes get after the quarterback defensively, they let it fly through the air and they don’t turn the ball over very much, a pretty solid formula for success. There’s a reason Miami is ranked in the top-10 of both the AP Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings.
Cam Polo: Miami 40-21
After shoddy defensive showings against North Carolina and Georgia Tech, I don’t expect the Blue Devils to turn things around against No. 9 Miami. Giving up 112 points in 120 minutes of play is not exactly a recipe for success against solid competition. Duke will keep the score respectable for much of the contest, but when the final whistle blows the Hurricanes will likely be 8-1.
Overall results:
Evan Kolin: 5-4
Shane Smith: 5-4
Jake Piazza: 8-1
Max Rego: 5-4
Cam Polo: 6-3
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Max Rego is a Trinity senior and an associate sports editor for The Chronicle's 118th volume. He was previously sports managing editor for Volume 117.
Jake Piazza is a Trinity senior and was sports editor of The Chronicle's 117th volume.