Birmingham Bowl: Troy vs Duke Odds, and Picks (Dec 23)

• Troy won the Sun Belt, after defeating App State, and climbed to 11-2.
• Duke went 3-6 over the last two months, but won their finale over Pitt.
• These two teams last met on September 6, 2014, in a game Duke won 34-17.

The college football season has reached the bowl games! Let’s preview the upcoming 2023 Birmingham Bowl between the Troy Trojans and the Duke Blue Devils. Both teams exceeded expectations this season.

How to Watch

• ABC

Preview

Troy won their 8th Sun Belt title this season, after taking down Appalachian State, 49-23, in the title game. They’ve won 10 straight games, entering bowl season as one of college football’s hottest teams. While the Trojans have been dominant on both sides of the ball, they did struggle offensively in their two losses to tougher teams. They’ll be out to prove they’ve gotten better since then, and can still beat capable teams.

Duke started the year out 4-0, climbing to as high as #17 in the top-25. Unfortunately, they went 3-5 after that hot start, losing a couple of those games by large margins. What makes matters even worse for the Blue Devils is that they’ll be without starting QB Riley Leonard, who committed to Notre Dame after entering the transfer portal. Leonard was the impetus for much of Duke’s offensive success this season.

Prediction

It’s a bit surprising to see a Power-5 team enter as such a large underdog to a Group of 5 opponent, but Duke has done just that. Over the last 8 games, the Blue Devils went 3-5, while the Trojans went 8-0. The difference in level of competition may have evened that out, but the loss of QB Riley Leonard for Duke throws an entirely new wrench into the mix. I don’t expect a blowout, but I’d agree that Troy should win.

NCAAF Picks:

• Troy 29, Duke 23 ()