WR Conner Vernon is one of the offensive weapons available to QB Sean Renfree. (US Presswire)

Florida International at Duke

Kickoff: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

Spread: Duke by 2

Watchability: They aren’t household names in college football, but the two teams combined for 727 passing yards and seven TDs in last year’s game. It has the potential to be a shootout.

Shining stars: Florida International: RB Kedrick Rhodes ran for 1,149 yards last season and rushed for eight TDs. He’ll be running behind a line that returns intact from last season.  Duke: DE Kenny Anunike was averaging a sack a game and leading the ACC when he went down with a season-ending knee injury last season. Despite missing eight games, he still led the Blue Devils in sacks.  

Who could steal the show: Florida International: DE Tourek Williams is the preseason defensive player of the year in the Sun Belt conference. He has 11.5 career sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss. Duke: QB Sean Renfree passed for 2,891 yards last season, but he’ll need to cut down on his 11 interceptions. He has a deep stable of running backs, WR Conner Vernon and some creative new schemes from coach David Cutcliffe.   

You going? Ranking the road trip: Despite being located next door to Duke’s basketball home of Cameron Indoor Stadium, Wallace Wade Stadium couldn’t have a more different atmosphere. The Cameron Crazies apparently undergo extensive therapy between March Madness and the start of football season. The stadium should be full, or close to it, for opening day. It’ll be up to the team to keep them coming back.

Magic number for Florida International: 18. FIU returns 18 of their 22 starters from last season, and QB Jake Medlock has two career starts as well. The Panthers also return their kicker and punter from last season. “They have everyone back, basically,” Cutcliffe said.

Magic number for Duke: 12. Duke’s injury report listed 11 players as out and one as doubtful for the game. “We will have 12 scholarship players unavailable due to injury,” Cutcliffe said. “We have a chance to be down to 70 scholarship players in our opener. I can honestly say that I’ve never faced that before.”

The game comes down to: Who has the ball last. FIU put up 568 yards of offense in last season’s game, but Duke scored late to win.

Our Prediction: Duke 34, Florida International 31

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.