Toledo (0-0) vs Duquesne (0-0)
Game Info: Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Glass Bowl)
Betting Odds: Toledo -28.5 / Duquesne +28.5 --- Over/Under: 52.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Duquesne Dukes and the Toledo Rockets meet in week 1 college football action from the Glass Bowl on Thursday night. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Duquesne vs. Toledo prediction.
Duquesne Team Preview
The Duquesne Dukes come into the 2024 campaign looking to build up some momentum after one of the stronger seasons in recent memory, finishing the year at 7-5 overall, including a 6-1 league record to lock up their 6th NEC championship. The Dukes boasted one of the best scoring defenses in the country last season, but the team will have to retool after losing a bunch of key pieces from last year’s squad.
The Dukes do bring back starting QB Darius Perrantes, who threw for 2,324 yards and 21 touchdowns last year, including 8 200+-yard passing games. The pieces are there for Duquesne to succeed after hitting the transfer portal, it’s just about delivering at this point.
Toledo Team Preview
The Toledo Rockets come into this one looking to keep the success going forward despite a new look in 2024, finishing with an 11-3 record, but it ended with back-to-back losses to Miami-Ohio in the MAC Conference Championship game and a loss to Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl. The issue for Toledo is that they were so good that other programs took notice and a lot of key pieces were poached like QB Dequan Finn who went to Baylor and RB Peny Boone who went to UCF. The offensive line is completely new as well after losing all five pieces.
Tucker Gleason is expected to move from backup QB to take over for Finn’s departure while Jacquez Stuart is expected to be lead back for the Rockets after rushing for 574 yards and 6 TDs last season. Toledo’s receiving group is arguably the best in the MAC with Jerjuan Newton, Junior Vandross and Larry Stephens all back as well. Defense is another story as the Rockets bring back a ton of pieces from that side of the ball, including Darius Alexander and D’Andre Ragin up front and Jackson Barrow and Daniel Bolden at linebacker.
Why the Toledo Rockets will win
- Toledo has won 12 of its last 13 games at Glass Bowl.
- Toledo has covered the spread in five of its last six home openers.
Duquesne vs. Toledo Prediction
I’m on Toledo here. Normally I’d be a bit sheepish to back a team like Toledo laying a big number after losing such an integral piece to their image like Dequan Finn, but if there’s one thing I’ve come to expect from Toledo football in the last decade, it’s that regardless of who is there, the Rockets blow out FCS opposition. Last year? It was a 71-3 mauling of Texas Southern. Before that? 37-0 over LIU.
Duquesne was a decent team last year, but they lost a ton on the defensive side of the ball and at least for Toledo, Tucker Gleason knows this system after backing Finn up last season. I think this is a good tune up spot for Toledo so give me the Rockets in another blowout.
Chris’s Pick Toledo -28.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Mitch's Take...
