The first step in David Cutcliffe's vision for winning games in what has become college football's great wasteland -- Duke -- is as simple as the name of the game he coaches.

"It's all going to start with the kicking game for me," Cutcliffe said shortly after he was introduced as the Blue Devils' latest hope Saturday in the Yoh Center on campus.

"As we put this staff together, it's going to be about how we can manage the kicking game. That will win close football games."

Cutcliffe, with those words, might as well have been reading Ted Roof's eulogy after more than four seasons on the job. Errant kicking and special teams malfunctions, more than anything else, were why Roof was fired and Cutcliffe hired.

With just average kicking, the Blue Devils would have won at least four more games during the 2006 and '07 seasons. That almost certainly would have been enough to assure Roof of continued employment through 2008.

Kicking aside, there are at least three more reasons to believe that Cutcliffe will be more successful than anyone since Steve Spurrier at Duke.

SCHEDULING

The Blue Devils, who had to play four straight early-season road games and seven overall in 2007, are scheduled for seven home games in '08 and at least six in '09.

The seven home games in 2008 will be Northwestern (the only Duke victim in '07), Navy (new head coach), James Madison (a 37-14 loser to North Carolina in '07), Miami (no longer a national power), Virginia, North Carolina and N.C. State.

Keep in mind that Duke should have defeated UNC in 2007 and put up a credible battle in a 24-13 loss at Virginia.

Scheduled to play at Duke in '09 are Richmond, Kansas, Maryland, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. One date still has to be filled for '09. You can bet Cutcliffe will push for a game in Durham against an unimposing opponent.

Granted, Duke hasn't benefited from any sort of home-field advantage in years. That's likely to change some, too. For one thing, a new coach always breeds new hope, and it's a near lock the school will sell more season tickets in '08 than at any time under the tenures of Ted Roof and Carl Franks.

But even if the stadium isn't packed, it's still easier to practice and prepare for a home game than one away. The four early road games in '07 unquestionably sapped the Devils of considerable energy and perhaps some hope.

STAFFING

Cutcliffe's previous experience as a head coach at Mississippi is the best possible insurance Duke could purchase against continued turnover and poor fits on the coaching staff.

Through little fault of their own, Franks and Roof had to learn the finer points of staff administration on the fly and in the face of unprecedented losing. Bear Bryant said 30 years ago that the road to success -- or failure -- in football is paved by assistant coaches. The game has changed and the players have changed, but that statement remains as true now as the day Bryant made it.

QUARTERBACKING

Cutcliffe's background as an offensive coordinator and quarterback specialist should serve him particularly well at Duke.

Although Thaddeus Lewis displayed signs of progress at times in '07, the position has been in a state of flux and turmoil since the mid-1990s.

At Duke, the key to steady quarterback play is development, as opposed to recruiting. Cutcliffe isn't likely to sign anyone with Eli Manning's raw skills. But if the new coach can bring in one decent prospect each season and install a consistent offensive system, the grooming process will eventually pay dividends.

Whether the folksy Cutcliffe turns out to be the best possible long-term hire for Duke athletic director Joe Alleva may not be known for a few years. Alleva's track record in this area is reflected in Duke's woeful winning percentage in recent years.

But short term, Cutcliffe is a safe, comfortable choice who easily met the qualifications Alleva outlined entering the search. And if the 2008 and '09 teams win as many as four games in each season, both the coach and his boss will look smart.