Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | Cal | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Stanford| Wake Forest
Duke
What if I told you that Duke football has been one of the ACC’s biggest winners over the last 4 years? There have been 35 wins since 2022. Investment, commitment to football, and just fine football coaching between Mike Elko, before he left for Texas A&M, and Manny Diaz have turned Duke into the ACC’s most underrated football program. If you are out there saying Duke is not a legitimate football program, I know you aren’t watching or paying attention. Many thought Duke would go into decline after Elko left. That didn’t happen. Manny Diaz has been outstanding, winning 18 games over two years, and your defending ACC Champions are residing in Durham, NC. Undestimate Duke football at your own peril.
Will Go 8-4 (5-3) if:
Walker Eger can keep things moving forward with the Duke offense. Duke was the ACC’s top-scoring offense last year, and while QB Darian Mensah, among others, transferred out, Duke isn’t new to overcoming player losses. Even if the offense slips a little, just a marginal improvement on defense can make up for it. If they can get out of the first half of their schedule 4-2 or 5-1, there’s a good chance they can ride the momentum through a tougher second half of the schedule that has 4 difficult road games and Clemson. Duke may yet again reach 9 wins, but I’m not sure they can get there in the regular season.
Will Go 4-8 (2-6) if:
Duke can’t overcome all the personnel losses. More than half of Duke’s 2-deep is gone, and if that is not managed well, things could spiral out of control for Duke. The schedule is difficult. There are games at Illinois, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia, at NC State, at Miami, Clemson, and at Wake Forest. Duke will likely be an underdog in every one of these games. Certainly, the majority of those they will be underdogs, that’s for sure. Even home games with Tulane, Stanford, and North Carolina could be tricky. If Duke loses that opener to Tulane, then 4-8 enters the discussion.
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