The second full weekend of 2023's college football bowl season kicks off at noon Saturday with the Birmingham Bowl between Group of Five power Troy and a resurgent program in Duke. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two programs and just the third all-time since they capped off a home-and-home series in 2014.
Duke opened the 2023 season with a bang, routing No. 9 Clemson to the tune of 28-7 for its first win against an AP top-10 opponent since 1989. The Blue Devils won their next three games in a row and steadily climbed the rankings but suffered a major setback when quarterback Riley Leonard left a Week 5 loss to Notre Dame with an ankle injury. Leonard was effectively sidelined for the rest of the season and Duke won just three games over the last two months to finish with a 7-5 record.
Troy, meanwhile, continued its streak of dominance in the Sun Belt. The Trojans are closing in on their second consecutive 12-win campaign after capturing 10 victories in the regular season and beating Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. Troy's only losses this year came on the road against Kansas State and by two points against a James Madison team that spent much of the year ranked inside the AP Top 25.
How to watch Birmingham Bowl live
Date: Saturday, Month Dec. 23 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Protective Stadium -- Birmingham, Alabama
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo's Pro, Elite and Premier plans.
Duke vs. Troy: Need to know
Battle of the interims: Both Duke and Troy saw their coaches leave for new jobs in the weeks leading up to Saturday's game. Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M, where he served as defensive coordinator prior to his move to Duke, and Jon Sumrall was hired at Tulane to replace the departing Willie Fritz. Each program has also found a more permanent replacement -- Manny Diaz for Duke and Gerad Parker for Troy -- but it will be interim coaches Trooper Taylor (Duke) and Greg Gasparato (Troy) that lead their squads into battle.
Duke needs a QB to step up: Leonard won't be running out of the tunnel for the Blue Devils. He left the program and transferred to Notre Dame for what will be his final season of eligibility. Redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV served as Leonard's backup and even started a game with Leonard injured, leading Duke to a 24-3 win against NC State. But Belin has dealt with injury issues of his own and didn't exactly light the world on fire in his limited playing time. That means it could be true freshman Grayson Loftis, who started the final four games of the season, that's first off the bench on Saturday. Loftis threw for 707 yards and eight touchdowns as a starter.
Tune in for Vidal: The Birmingham Bowl might be our last chance to watch Troy running back Kimani Vidal, one of the most electric players in all of college football. He finished second nationally in rushing -- just 32 yards behind Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon -- with 280 carries for 1,582 yards and 14 touchdowns. He powered the Trojans to a second straight Sun Belt Conference Championship Game win by rushing for 233 yards and five touchdowns against App State, becoming the first FBS player to ever rush for five touchdowns in a conference title game. That was his third game with at least 200 yards rushing.
Birmingham Bowl prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
This game feels almost impossible to accurately predict. Both teams have undergone a wave of change in the past month between coaching departures and the transfer portal. Troy has fared a little better in the latter department, losing just one key player (linebacker Jayden McDonald) to the portal. Meanwhile, Duke saw its starting quarterback, leading rusher (Jordan Waters) and three frontline defenders in linemen RJ Oben and Aeneas Peebles and linebacker Dorian Mausi leave the program. Those front-seven departures may make the difference. Duke's defense was already susceptible to a strong rushing attack, and missing three starters near the line of scrimmage isn't a recipe for containing Vidal. This won't be a high-scoring game, but Troy should be able to grind out a win. Pick: Troy -7.5
Which college football picks can you make with confidence during bowl season? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit over the past seven-plus seasons -- and find out.
