The Wiz of Odds

Duke

November has been unkind to Duke and David Cutcliffe. Since Cutcliffe became coach in 2008, the Blue Devils are 1-12 in the month. Duke hasn't been to a bowl game since 1994 and was set to end that skid in 2009 when the team entered November with a 5-3 record. But as form would have it, the team lost all four games. Overall, Cutcliffe is 15-33. The team enters 2012 saddled with a seven-game losing streak. The Blue Devils will have to win a bunch of games early if they are to entertain any hopes of ending the bowl drought. Perhaps incoming freshman Hud Mellencamp, the son of rocker John Mellencamp, can help. The younger Mellencamp, who did not play high school football but was an accomplished boxer in Indiana, plans to walk on as a defensive back.

Click the image to enlarge. Thanks to Mike.

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.