The Wiz of Odds

Duke Is No Match for Stanford in Durham

Superfan and Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin's second game of his Saturday college football doubleheader took place in Durham, N.C., where Stanford took on Duke. The Cardinal rolled to a 44-14 victory behind Heisman candidate Andrew Luck.

There are more photos after the jump, and you can view Greg's complete gallery by clicking here.

Duke

Duke has made considerable progress under David Cutcliffe, who enters his fourth year as coach with a 12-24 record. It is the program's best three-year stretch since Steve Spurrier went 20-13-1 from 1987-89.

Click the image to enlarge. Thanks to Mike.

Duke

Things were bad in Durham from 1999-2007, a stretch that saw the Blue Devils win only 13 games. At one point, Duke backed out of the final three games of a four-game series against Louisville because the Cardinals were simply too good. Louisville sued for breach of contract, seeking a penalty of $150,000 a game, but Duke attorneys won the case by arguing that its team was so bad, scheduling any opponent would be a suitable replacement. That puts in perspective what David Cutcliffe has accomplished in his two seasons as coach. He is 9-15, including a 5-7 record last season. The Blue Devils' next step is finishing with a winning record and ending a bowl drought that dates to 1994. It might not happen in 2010. The schedule features home games against Alabama and Miami and a trip to Virginia Tech.

As a run-up to the start of the season, the Wiz will display one poster each day until our supply is exhausted. Last year, the site displayed 69 posters.

Then we turn it over to readers, who will vote on the poster of the year. In the meantime, send your team's poster schedule to jayzuma (at) gmail.com. Thanks to Mike!

Click the image for an enlarged view.

Tennessee Expected to Hire Duke's Cutcliffe

Update: The deal with David Cutcliffe fell through and Tennessee is expected to hire Derek Dooley of Louisiana Tech.

David Cutcliffe, who was an assistant at Tennessee from 1983-98 and 2006-07, is Tennessee's likely choice as its new coach, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Cutcliffe, 55, has spent the past two seasons at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to records of 4-8 and 5-7. Before his arrival, Duke was the worst program in a Bowl Championship Series conference for a 10-year span, with only 13 victories over Division I-A teams.

Cutcliffe was Mississippi's coach from 1998-2004, going 44-29. The Rebels played in five bowl games, winning four.

He has a reputation for developing quarterbacks, having coached Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Erik Ainge.

Duke Beating Swine Flu, Is Ready for Next Opponent

The worst of the swine flu that swept through nearly half of Duke's roster appears to be over. The Blue Devils actually had enough players for a 60-play scrimmage Saturday morning, but officials are still taking every precaution.

"We're leading the country in antiseptic. I wash my hands about 38 times a day, minimum," coach David Cutcliffe told the Herald-Sun.

Cutcliffe announced Friday that nearly 50% of his team had suffered from symptoms believed to be related to the H1N1 virus since the start of training camp Aug. 5. One player had officially tested positive for the virus and other players are presumed to have had it.

Duke

To put David Cutcliffe's first season in perspective, consider this: The Blue Devils won four games in 2008, which equaled the victory total of the previous four seasons. Cutcliffe took over a program that was so far gone, it once backed out of the final three games of a four-game contract with Louisville. The contract called for a penalty of $150,000 a game if a date with a "team of similar stature" could not be arranged, and the Cardinals took the Blue Devils to court, expecting to collect $450,000. Duke won the case by arguing that its team was so bad, any team would be a suitable replacement. The Blue Devils could easily start 3-1 this fall, but getting to a bowl game will require stepping up their game in the balanced Atlantic Coast Conference. Thanks to Bart and Jeff.