Sun Bowl Betting: Duke Blue Devils vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Odds, Analysis

Two schools that had hoped to finish the season stronger will square off in the Sun Bowl, as the Arizona State Sun Devils will take on the Duke Blue Devils. The Sun Devils and the Blue Devils have each dropped two of their last three games both straight up and against the spread and will try to finish 2014 on a positive note.

Sun Bowl point spread: The Sun Devils opened as nine-point favorites; the total was 67 (line updates and matchup report).

Odds Shark computer prediction: 38.3-35.9 Blue Devils

Why the Blue Devils can cover the spread

Duke had an excellent shot at winning the ACC Coastal but lost two straight home games to the Virginia Tech Hokies and the North Carolina Tar Heels before defeating the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their finale. Surprisingly, offense was an issue for the Blue Devils in the last month, as they combined for 36 points against the Hokies and the Tar Heels before routing the Demon Deacons 41-21 on November 29.

Like Arizona State, Duke went on a winning streak midseason, going 4-0 SU and ATS, with three of those victories coming on the road. Two of the wins for the Blue Devils came as underdogs, including a 31-25 victory at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who won the division but lost the ACC Championship Game to the Florida State Seminoles.

Why the Sun Devils can cover the spread

Arizona State finished tied for second in the Pac-12 South at 6-3, with two of those losses coming on the road over a period of 13 days. The Sun Devils were competitive in both of those setbacks but faltered in the second half each time; otherwise, they might have gotten the opportunity to play the Oregon Ducks for the Pac-12 title.

They enjoyed a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season, which gave them a shot at the conference championship, beating the USC Trojans, the Stanford Cardinal, the Washington Huskies, the Utah Utes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, all teams that will be playing in bowl games this year. They also went 4-1 ATS during the winning streak.

Smart pick

The quality of competition is worth noting here, which is why Arizona State is favored by a little more than a touchdown in this spot. Only two of the four teams Duke beat during its four-game winning streak are in bowl games, and the Pac-12 was a stronger conference than the ACC overall.

Another key factor for bettors to consider when handicapping the Sun Bowl is how each team lost two of three to get to this point. The Blue Devils were blown out by intrastate rival North Carolina 45-20 at home and also fell to a bad Virginia Tech team 17-16, while the Sun Devils could have easily won one or both of the games they lost down the stretch.

Arizona State is clearly the better team and should win this game against Duke by double digits to cover the spread.

Trends

• Duke is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games.
• Arizona State is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games.

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark. Follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line-move updates.