The Troy Trojans (11-2) and Duke Blue Devils (7-5) clash in Saturday's Birmingham Bowl. Kickoff at Protective Stadium innAlabama is slated for noon ET (ABC). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the'Troy vs. Duke odds, and make our expert'college football picks and predictions.
Troy is on a 10-game winning streak after beating Appalachian State 49-23 in the Dec. 2 Sun Belt Championship. The Trojans covered the spread as a 5.5-point favorite and sailed over the total of 53.5. Junior RB Kimani Vidal ran for 233 yards (9 yards per carry) and 5 TDs in the victory.
Troy’s defense is what brought home the championship though, as they allowed just 17.1 points per game this season, 10th-best in the nation. Troy will be lead by defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato as interim head coach after Jon Sumrall’s departure to Tulane.
The Blue Devils limped to the finish line of their season, losing 4 of their last 6 games. Duke lost starting QB Riley Leonard and back-up QB Henry Belin IV to injuries which forced 3rd string freshman QB Grayson Loftis into duty. He went 2-2 as the starter over the final 4 games. Duke did beat the Pittsburgh Panthers 30-19 in its regular-season finale as Loftis threw for 248 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. 'Blue Devil’s running back coach Trooper Taylor will serve at interim head coach after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M.