Daniel Olinger: Northwestern 23, Duke 21
I was painstakingly close to picking Duke. This Northwestern team hasn’t proven much of anything, yet goes into a road game with everyone telling them they’re going to blow the doors off a weaker team. It smells ripe for a “Duke wins in a surprising 38-17 rout of Northwestern” headline on Sunday. But I just can’t do it.
For the second week in a row, the superior football talent resides on the Northwestern sideline, and execution isn’t something to be counted on for the Blue Devils. Going back to last year, David Cutcliffe’s squad surrendered 56, 48, 56 and, you guessed it, 56 points in their final four games before giving up 31 to the underrated but still underqualified Charlotte team that upset them in their season opener.