Every week the Blue Zone gives you our can't-lose prop bets for the upcoming football game:
Duke vs. Pittsburgh (-21.5)
Both Duke and Pittsburgh enter this weekend's contest picking up the pieces from a loss last week, yet only one team will stop the rain on their parade come Saturday. With a 6-2 season recorded thus far and a first-place ranking in the ACC Coastal, unfortunately for the Blue Devils, that team will most likely be the Panthers.
After a successful first leg to their season, Duke has recently endured significant losses, with the last two of their four-loss streak being by over 38 points. Pittsburgh, on the flip-side, has had a successful season, for the most part, beating all of their ACC opponents except Miami and defeating their only cross-opponent with the Blue Devils, Georgia Tech, by 31 points. When referencing that Georgia Tech also beat North Carolina by 23, a team that Duke lost to 38-7, it's clear that the Yellow Jackets are robust in their own right. Since Pittsburgh handed Georgia Tech a significant loss, it's not only that we expect no chance for the Blue Devils to pull out a win, but that they will likely suffer by an over 21-point deficit.
Pick: Pittsburgh
Over/Under 64.5 points
Given the Blue Devils track record this season, there is almost a zero percent chance they will compete in a game of over 64.5 points. Their only match to go over this threshold was Kansas (52-33), yet considering that Duke has not necessarily been thriving lately and that the Jayhawks themselves sport a 0.125 win percentage, a repeat of that game is not something for which you should watch out. A more reasonable expectation for the Duke vs. Pittsburgh match is to reverse the roles for the Blue Devils. Don’t fret though. Given that last weekend’s loss to then-No. 13 Wake Forest, a team that reigns undefeated, was 45-7, against an unranked team, the chances are minuscule for Duke to face a loss more significant than what they have seen before.
Pick: Under
First score of the game: Pitt touchdown (+110)
This prop may be obvious, but again, you never know what will happen come game day. Given the Panthers' performance lately, being the first to score in the match has been their ploy for every contest this season except Clemson and Tennessee. These first points have all been touchdowns except for the safety they registered against New Hampshire, and in all of these competitions, Pittsburgh has reliably gone for and captured the extra point. We expect this match to be no different considering that the Panthers are favored to win and have an edge in this aspect against the Blue Devils, who have only done so against two teams, Kansas and Northwestern.
Pick: Pittsburgh
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