Clemson vs. Duke Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 projection · last season, roster and staff
Where Clemson gets at Duke: 45th at surviving second and twelve, against a unit 119th at closing out passing downs. Where Duke gets at Clemson: 37th at hitting chunk plays, against a unit 118th at keeping everything in front of them. Clemson is also 47th at turning trips inside the 40 into points, against a unit 117th.
How
CLEMattacks
DUKE
- 1
Trust the offense behind schedule
surviving second and twelve · projected
CLEM#45 of 138DUKE#119 of 138 - 2
Finish drives in the red zone
turning trips inside the 40 into points · projected
CLEM#47 of 138DUKE#117 of 138 - 3
Stay on schedule through the air
staying on schedule through the air · projected
CLEM#45 of 138DUKE#114 of 138
HowDUKEattacksCLEM
- 1
Take shots
hitting chunk plays · projected
DUKE#37 of 138CLEM#118 of 138
The two teams
Clemson
Clemson throws it: Dabo Swinney's offenses have been pass-leaning across 11 seasons. The strengths are defensive, led by 14th at stuffing runs at the line. The way in is 118th at keeping everything in front of them.
On fourth down he goes for it about as often as his peers do from the same spots (−2.2%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −43.8% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Clemson has played 2 games against a soft slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Defensegetting stopped at the line#14projected
- Defensesacks and tackles for loss#21projected
- Defensefirst and second down#22projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensehitting chunk plays#118projected
Duke
Duke throws it: Manny Diaz's offenses have been pass-leaning across 5 seasons. The strengths are defensive, led by 24th at stuffing runs at the line. The way in is 123rd at keeping everything in front of them, and they are 119th at closing out passing downs.
On fourth down he goes for it about as often as his peers do from the same spots (+2.5%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −22.8% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Duke has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Defensegetting stopped at the line#24projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensehitting chunk plays#123projected
- Defensesurviving second and twelve#119projected
- Offensegetting stopped at the line#117projected
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (DUKE Elo 1615, CLEM Elo 1562 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects DUKE +5.3 (37% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
CLEM133rd74thDUKEDUKE90th102ndCLEMThrough the air
CLEM124th102ndDUKEDUKE113th130thCLEMOn the ground
CLEM123rd31stDUKEDUKE37th109thCLEMStaying on the field
CLEM136th44thDUKEDUKE90th112thCLEMTaking care of it
CLEM75th76thDUKEDUKE21st76thCLEM
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profilesClemson leads 37–18–1 · Duke has won 2 straight · 41% have been one-possession games
| CLEM | DUKE | |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 (#108) | CORE overall | +4.6 (#53) |
| -10 / -0 | offense / defense | -1 / -5 |
| 0.25 | points / drive | 1.42 |
| 4.09 | allowed / drive | 0.25 |
| 50% | three-and-outs | 33% |
| +3 | pass over expected | -15 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win Clemson vs. Duke?
Gridpex's model favors Clemson with a 63% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for Clemson vs. Duke?
The model projects Clemson by 5.3.
What time is Clemson vs. Duke and what channel is it on?
Fri, Nov 20, 7:30 PM ET, at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →