Elon vs Duke Prediction 8/28/2025 Today’s College Football Picks

In this article we will formulate an Elon vs Duke prediction for this College Football game on Thursday, August 28th at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this week 1 matchup. 

Elon Phoenix Betting Preview

The Elon Phoenix went 6-6 (5-3) last season, which was tied for sixth place in the CAA standings with Stony Brook and Towson. Elon started their 2024 season with a 26-3 loss against Duke and they lost five of their first six games. The Phoenix did rally to make the season a partial success by winning five of the last six games. Elon picked up wins against NC Central, Albany, Campbell, William & Mary, Maine, and NC A&T, while they lost to Duke, Western Carolina, ETSU, Richmond, New Hampshire, and Hampton. 

This year, Elon will have a new quarterback under center and we may see multiple quarterbacks throughout this game. The Phoenix played better down the stretch last season, but they need to pick the right guy to lead the offense, or that momentum will be gone. On defense, the defensive backs are the biggest key for this team and they have had very solid play from that position over the years.

Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview

The Duke Blue Devils went 9-4 (5-3) last year, which was tied for fourth in the ACC standings with Syracuse, Louisville, and Georgia Tech. Duke blew out Elon in their first game and they actually started with a 5-0 record, before losing three of their next four. Duke picked up wins against Elon, Northwestern, Connecticut, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina, Florida State, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest, while they lost to Georgia Tech, SMU, and Miami. The Blue Devils did make the Gator Bowl, where they lost to Ole Miss by a score of 52-20. 

This season, Duke will have Darian Mensah under center, who was great at Tulane and was a very high prospect in the portal this year. The offense needs to protect the football much better than they did last season and they need to help out a pretty good defensive unit by putting up some points. There is a lot of returning production on the offensive line and in the running back room, but I have some questions about the Wide Receivers. I do think the offense will be improved, but we will see how Mensah holds up in ACC play. 

Why Duke will beat Elon

• Duke has won each of its last 12 games against non-FBS teams.
• Duke has covered the spread in each of its last four games at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Duke’s last four games against teams from North Carolina have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Duke ranked 126th among FBS teams for 4th down conversion percentage last season (36.8).
• Duke ranked 124th among FBS teams for time of possession per game last season (27:05).

Elon vs Duke Prediction 

Duke was able to pick up a pretty easy win over Elon to start the 2024 season and they should be able to do the same here. The Blue Devils weren’t great on offense in that game, but I expect them to come out much stronger here. I think Duke will want to get Mensah plenty of work down the field, as they prepare for Illinois in their second game, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them throwing the ball even when they are up big. Elon finished last year with some momentum and hopefully they can maintain that, but this is too tall of a task, especially against the Duke defense. Take the Blue Devils to win big.