2021 Game Previews – The Season Concludes

On Saturday, November 26, 2021, Duke will conclude its 2021 season against Miami. While the season, like so many before it, got off to a promising start, it has since come crashing down. The Blue Devils started 3-1, but are mired in a seven game losing streak. While I would like to thing Duke will snap out of it and put an end to the losing streak on Saturday, I don’t see it happening.

This Miami team isn’t particularly good, they are 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference, they are better than the Blue Devils are. Looking at the trends, this Miami team could actually be a lot better than its current record. The Hurricanes lost to UVA by two and lost by three to both UNC and FSU. If they win those games, Miami is an outstanding 9-2 overall and 7-1 in conference. The margin between winning and losing is often thin, and this Miami team shows it. Manny Diaz is on the hot seat right now because his team dropped three games by a total of eight points. Football is a tough sport, especially for the coaches.

But turning from the trends to this specific game, if you consider the fact that Miami scores right around 30 a game in conference, I don’t see how you can expect Duke to win. I won’t take time to recap what’s been wrong with the Blue Devils this year, so I will get straight to my prediction. Duke loses. Final score? Miami 52, Blue Devils 20.

And, unfortunately, that is how the Cutcliffe Era will end in Durham. Despite making Duke relevant and taking this program to six bowl games, it will end, in the same fashion that so many seasons ended before Cutcliffe came to town – too few victories, a losing season and a winless conference season. It’s a sad way to go out, but it’s what we’ll see. Despite my negative outlook on this game, I’ll be in Durham rooting for the Blue Devils. If you happen to be there, come by Section 30, Row D, and say hello. While it may be a painful game, I want to see what is likely the last home game for the coach who made this program relevant. And, for that, I’ll always be grateful and glad we had Cut in Durham.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!