Florida International @ Duke preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 1, 2011 ) Duke 31, Florida International 27

Perhaps all one needs to know about Duke's football program is that head coach David Cutcliffe received more headlines in the offseason for helping Peyton Manning work his way back from a string of neck surgeries. The Blue Devils are coming off back-to-back three-win seasons and will need to take a monumental leap forward to end a 17-year bowl drought. Unlike many schools that like to kick off their season with a cupcake opponent, Duke will face a difficult first test when it hosts Florida International in Saturday night's season opener. The schools met last season in Miami, and the Blue Devils rallied for a pair of touchdowns to erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 31-27 victory. FIU is the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Duke -3.

ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (2011: 8-5, 5-3 Sun Belt): The Panthers enter the season with high hopes, returning 18 starters and garnering votes nationally in the preseason coaches' poll. FIU is coming off back-to-back bowl appearances under sixth-year coach Mario Cristobal and has 10 starters back from a defense that was the top-ranked unit in the Sun Belt in 2011. Jake Medlock enters his first full season as quarterback leading an attack that piled up 568 yards against Duke last season. Junior running back Kedrick Rhodes set a school record with 1,149 yards rushing and wideout Wayne Times had 54 receptions. Senior end Tourek Williams leads the defense.

ABOUT DUKE (2011: 3-8, 1-7 ACC): The Blue Devils' offense is in good hands under fifth-year senior Sean Renfree, who owns the top completion percentage (63.4 percent) in school history and threw for 2,891 yards last season, including 335 and two TDs in the come-from-behind win over FIU. Renfree's favorite target is wideout Conner Vernon, who is coming off a 70-catch campaign and is on pace to become the ACC's career leader in receptions and yards. Juwan Thompson, who scored both fourth-quarter TDs against FIU last season, takes over at running back. Redshirt senior Kenny Anunike returns to lead the defense. He had four sacks in three games before a knee injury ended his 2011 season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Vernon has caught a pass in an FBS-leading 35 straight games and needs two catches to become the seventh player in ACC history with 200 career receptions.

2. Florida International won at Louisville last season but is 0-6 all-time against ACC schools.

3. The Blue Devils, who begin their 100th season of football, lost four games by seven or fewer points in 2007.

PREDICTION: FIU 34, Duke 30.