2. Charlotte at Duke
Point Total: 55
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
The one big fear here is that the Duke offense finally gets rolling and everything clicks in a cathartic blowout with 40+ points put up on the board, but even then it should go under.
The Charlotte defense, though, is just good enough to keep that from happening.
The 49er point totals are a tad bit skewed thanks to the 49-21 win over a North Texas team that can’t stop anyone. The guess is that the number settled in at 55 because of the opening game 35-20 loss to Appalachian State, but it’s giving the Charlotte offense too much credit.
Duke has had its problems but it’s D isn’t going to give up more than 20 points unless everything melts down, and that’s another fear. Duke has made a habit out of melting down with turnovers.
David Cutcliffe teams don’t tend to put up massive numbers to keep the O going. It will probably settle in at just under 40 points and keep Charlotte from scoring more than two touchdowns.