Duke vs. Clemson prediction: college oootball odds, pick Monday

Week 1 of the college football season concludes Monday night when upstart Duke hosts Clemson, who is laying close to two touchdowns on the road.

Duke is coming off a surprising 9-4 season in head coach Mike Elko’s first year.

Not many people are talking about Duke right now, but the Blue Devils return 18 starters off that nine-win team, including star quarterback Riley Leonard.

Duke was profitable for bettors as an underdog in 2022, going 5-0-1 when catching points with three outright upsets.

Clemson is once again a favorite to win the ACC and potentially return to the College Football Playoff. The Tigers are coming off a “disappointing” 11-win season.

Clemson is expected to once again compete for a title, but questions still remain at the quarterback position. Sophomore Cade Klubnik was highly recruited but inconsistent once he replaced DJ Uiagalelei as the starter a year ago.

Not surprisingly, Clemson has dominated this series. The Tigers are 10-1 straight up and 7-4 ATS since 1999 with four straight covers.

However, people are sleeping on Duke entering the season.

Betting on College Football?

Leonard is rated as the No. 3 draft-eligible quarterback by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., and the defense should be strong again after allowing a respectable 22.1 points per game in 2022.

I’m not quite as high on Clemson as some this year, so I’ll take the 13 points with the home ‘dog Monday night.

THE PLAY: Duke +13 (-110) (PointsBet)