Tulane vs Duke Prediction Football Picks Today 9/5/26

In this article, we will formulate a Tulane vs Duke Prediction for this College Football Week 1 matchup on Saturday, September 5^th. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this College Football matchup.

Duke Blue Devils Preview

Duke finished last season with a 9-5 overall record, a 6-2 conference record, and placed 5th in the ACC. They had a 3-3 home record, a 4-2 road record, and a 2-0 neutral record. Offensively, the Blue Devils scored 34.6 points per game (ranking 16th in the nation). Defensively, Duke allowed 29.4 points per game (ranking 99th in the nation). They averaged 423.5 total yards per game (138.1 rushing, 285.4 passing) and gave up 424.2 total yards per game (147.4 rushing, 276.8 passing).

Darian Mensah led the Blue Devils with 334/500 completed passes and 3,973 total passing yards, throwing 34 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Nate Sheppard led the team in rushing yards with 1,132, adding a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns, while Cooper Barkate had a team-high 72 caught passes for 1,106 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns. Defensively, Caleb Weaver led the team with 91 total tackles (43 solo), while Vincent Anthony Jr. led Duke in sacks with 7.5.

Tulane Green Wave Preview

Tulane finished last season with an 11-3 overall record, a 7-1 conference record, and placed 1st in the AAC. They had a 7-0 home record and a 4-3 road record. Offensively, the Green Wave scored 27.7 points per game (ranking 68th in the nation). Defensively, Tulane allowed 23.9 points per game (ranking 59th in the nation). They averaged 411.4 total yards per game (166.3 rushing, 245.1 passing) and gave up 384.2 total yards per game (122.6 rushing, 261.6 passing).

Jake Retzlaff led the Green Wave with 242/391 completed passes and 3,168 total passing yards, throwing 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Zuberi Mobley led the team in rushing yards with 1,844, adding a team-high 21 rushing touchdowns, while Omari Hayes had a team-high 39 caught passes for 515 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown. Defensively, Jack Tchienchou led the team with 83 total tackles (55 solo), while Harvey Dyson III led Tulane in sacks with 8.0.

Tulane Green Wave @ Duke Blue Devils Betting Trends: Week 1

Why the Duke Blue Devils will win

• Duke has won each of its last 15 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
• Tulane has lost seven of its last eight road openers as an underdog.
• Tulane has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Duke has covered the spread in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked teams at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
• Duke has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked teams at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
• Duke has won the first half in each of its last nine September games as a favorite.

Why the Tulane Green Wave will win

• Tulane has won each of its last 10 September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Duke has lost three of its last four games against non-conference opponents.
• Duke has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
• Tulane has covered the spread in nine of its last 10 season openers.
• The underdog has won the first quarter in six of Duke’s last nine games.
• Tulane has won the first half eight of its last nine September games against non-AP-ranked teams.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Tulane’s last eight September games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
• Each of Duke’s last seven games against non-conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.

Duke Blue Devils Player Prop Facts

• Walker Eget ranked 1st amongst qualified players for sack percentage (1.5%) last season.

Tulane Green Wave Player Prop Facts

• Jamauri McClure was one of only 17 players in the FBS to record 500 rushing yards with less than 100 attempts last season.

Matchup/League Facts

• Duke ranked 135th among FBS teams for 1st downs against last season (314).
• Duke ranked 134th among FBS teams for passing yards allowed per game last season (276.8).
• Tulane ranked 133rd among FBS teams for 1st downs against last season (310).
• Tulane ranked 126th among FBS teams for passing yards allowed per game last season (261.6).

Tulane vs Duke Prediction

In this Tulane vs Duke Prediction, Duke is coming as -7.5 home favorites. Tulane is coming off a good season as they had a better overall record than Duke and both teams had similar home/away splits. Duke had an elite offense, but Tulane had a top-60 defense and both teams were 7-7 against the spread last season, so this matchup is more balanced than the line indicates, so I will grab the plus points with the road team. Take Tulane by +7.5 in this one.