Week 0: Florida State vs Duquesne 8/27/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Florida State Seminoles and Duquesne Dukes clash Saturday in week 0 college football action from Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

The Duquesne Dukes will look to build on a fairly successful mark in 2021, finishing the year at 7-3 with a 5-2 mark in NEC conference play that also included a marquee win over an FBS opponent with a 28-26 win over the Ohio Bobcats. Darrius Perrantes is back after throwing for 1,620 yards, 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 59.6% completion percentage in 2021. Billy Lucas is back at running back after putting up 699 rushing yards with 6 rushing TDs and a pair of 100-yard rushing games. Cyrus Holder leads Duquesne’s receiving group with 37 grabs, 629 yards and 8 TDs last season and was all-NEC last year. Jahan Worth was the anchor of the Dukes’ defense at linebacker, tying for the team-high with 56 tackles, 38 solo and 6.5 TFLs. Leandro DeBrito leads the secondary after being first team all-NEC with 56 total tackles of his own, including 42 solo tackles.

The Florida State Seminoles will come into the 2022 season looking to bounce back from a 4^th straight losing season after finishing 5-7 with a 4-4 mark in ACC conference play. The ‘Noles will hope for better in year three with Mike Norvell and there are signs of things starting to turn in the right direction. Jordan Wilson returns at QB after an inconsistent maiden voyage season in 2021, while Ja’Khi Douglas and Ontario Wilson anchor FSU’s receiving group. Mycah Pittman transfers in from Oregon and Johnny Wilson comes from Arizona State to help on the outside as well and Camren Moore is an underutilized tight end that will likely see his usage improve in 2022. Leading rusher from 2021, Jashaun Corbin is no longer a Seminole, but Treshaun Ward’s back after logging over 6 yards per carry and Trey Benson also comes in as a transfer from Oregon to strength the backfield which should be a strength of this FSU team. On defense, the front seven got a lot of pressure In opposing backfields, with Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas on the ends of the line while Fabien Lovett, Robert Cooper and Jarrett Jackson are solid pieces at the defensive tackle spots. DJ Lundy and Kalen DeLoach make up the top pieces at linebacker for FSU with Lundy finishing 3^rd on the Seminoles in tackles last season. Leading tackler Jammie Robinson is back at safety for the Florida State secondary, while Akeem Dent and Omarion Cooper are going to be key contributors for the ‘Noles defensive unit this season.

I get why Florida State is a massive favourite, and if we’re being frank here, name brand is a decent part of that. However, Duquesne isn’t really a pushover and while Florida State likely wins this game in convincing fashion, I have to wonder if they’ll be taking their foot off of the gas a bit early if they’re up by a sizeable margin to put the backups in with LSU on deck. I’m not banking on the outright upset here, but Duquesne could surprise some folks here and keep it closer than expected. Give me Duquesne and the points here.