^ that's why I thought we'd give it a big effort vs VT last year, and they were simply much much better than we were. They had just come off the Old Dominion debacle, and ended up with a losing record overall.
2017 - present
VT: 17-12, includes 2 bowl losses (9-8 in the ACC; 2-0 against traditional rival)
DU: 17-12, includes 2 bowl wins (6-10 in the ACC; 2-0 against traditional rival)
VT beat Duke by 21 and 17.
There's a sense that VT is on the way down and Duke on the way up.
Duke in the SRS over last three years: 37, 41, 47
VT in the SRS over the last three years: 25, 74, 106
^ that's why I thought we'd give it a big effort vs VT last year, and they were simply much much better than we were. They had just come off the Old Dominion debacle, and ended up with a losing record overall.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Prior to the Wake no-show, there were two home games in which we were dominated … VT and UVA. In the latter, I remember thinking we were trying to compete, UVA was just a better team. I got no such sense from the VT game … Duke just plain looked uninterested, for some unknown reason. I am expecting Cutcliffe to be showing a lot of tape of that game this week.
That was Jones first game back and I still believe he was rushed back too fast. I don't mean they risked injury, but I thought then that Harris had just completed two successful games and should have been given a chance. Jones had 6 carries for 1 yard that game, he was simply limited. Limited by injury or limited in play calling, but it wasn't the usual game plan and it showed.
I think we get a different outcome if Jones hadn't been injured or if Harris had been allowed to play at least another game (the next game was a bye week and would have given Jones 2 more weeks to recover), especially after seeing what he has been capable of this year.
Oh what the hell. It's been a long pie off-season. This bet is only for the first taker and bet offer expires Monday morning if no one has accepted. I'm not giving anybody the advantage information of sharp action.
I'll bet one pie that Virginia Tech wins the game. I'll be cheering for Duke 100% and for you to win the bet of course. It's just a win-win hedge for me where I have something to be happy about either way. If Duke wins this game, we'll be positioning ourselves nicely to make another bowl which would make me ecstatic this year with our tough schedule.
I just can't imagine Duke being any kind of favorite over Va Tech based on what I've seen over the years. Even when we beat them it felt like a miracle.
Who wants to win a pie when Duke wins?
Take the points. I was at the VT/Furman game and they didn’t dominate a single aspect of the game. They were actually lucky to win as Furman scored with 2 minutes to go, then successfully executed the onside kick but had it overturned on review because of an “illegal block” during the kickoff. Not sure I’ve ever heard that one before, but that was end of game when the repeated attempt was unsuccessful. This is a very mediocre VT team with a less than mediocre quarterback who was booed by the home fans. No guarantees of course, but this is a very winnable game.
The basic theme of this matchup has been Duke beaten badly at the line of scrimmage, getting pushed around by stronger, quicker VT pass rushers in particular. The path to a Duke victory is a narrow one IMO, and depends on Quentin Harris playing very well. Which could happen.
I'm seeing many of the same types of comments that I saw last year at this time before the VT game. I am very nervous about this game, regardless of what VT has shown prior to now. Duke needs an 'A' effort in this game.
yup, they rushed very few guys and still got pressure on Jones last year...nor could we run...as true as the comments are about the lousy Furman performance, VT was arguably worse vs Old Dominion last year before dominating Duke, so I take little solace in the Furman showing. I'm sure our lads know how poorly they played last year, so I'm at least expecting an effort out of them this year. This team is well capable of beating or losing to any team left on its schedule. But there's little margin for error.
I'm in the wait and see mode like many other folks are because VT has had our number the past couple seasons. The O-line is going to have to play better so our offense can sustain drives, score points and keep our defense rested. As I stated up thread, perhaps we will gain an advantage being on the road.
Bob Green
It looks like lines are opening as Va Tech -6.5 to -7 point favorites. My pie bet proposal was in response to folks using stats to say that Duke should be a slight favorite. I just could not believe that Duke would really be a favorite to win this game. It's too early in the season for those stats to be as meaningful.
If Kedsy disagrees, then Kedsy is right. My pie bet proposal was purely based on my eye test and recency bias for every time I've watched us play Va Tech since they joined the conference. Bad way to gamble, I know. But that's the beauty of gambling. Anybody can have a theory and anybody can put their money or their pie where their mouth is. And you don't have to be remotely right to win or lose. But it helps to be lucky.