Don’t Count Duke Out of the ACC Race Yet

The Duke Blue Devils are having a great football season. They are looking like a great threat for any team they play. Their offense has been great for most of the season, and they are playing well. They could put up points and have shown they could go up and down the field.

That is something that many teams cannot say. They have a lot of things clicking for them. Then you go to the defense side, where they could make plays happen and are not scared of the big-time moments. A good formula.

Duke is on the back end of their schedule and is looking to keep things going in the right direction. The Blue Devils only have one loss in the ACC, and their title hopes are still here.

Duke could compete with anyone in the conference. All they are looking for is an opportunity. But for them it is all about controlling with they can and letting the rest of the chips fall where they may.

hbh — Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz high-fives players Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Duke Alive in ACC Title Race

The time when Duke itself argued that it had the absolute worst football program in the country is an old story, but enough time has passed and so much has fundamentally changed that it’s worth revisiting," said Luke DeCock of The News & Observer.

Seventeen years, three bullseye coaching hires and many millions of investment later, the Blue Devils have the most stable, most competitive and most (realistically) ambitious program in the state, still with a shot at playing for the ACC title with four games to play and coming off nine-, eight- and nine-win seasons.

jnj — Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Sahmir Hagans (2) returns a kickoff for a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

David Cutcliffe legitimized the program, the university poured money into it, Mike Elko revitalized it and Manny Diaz is running with it. Duke survived the Elko-to-Diaz transition without blinking, spent a reported $8 million on quarterback Darian Mensah and has become a textbook case in how to manage a football program in the 2025 football economy, even in the shadow of a more popular, more famous basketball program that will always be the alpha on campus.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz high-fives players Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a weekend when all three Triangle teams won big ACC games, two on the road, the other over a top-10 team at home, Duke’s first win at Clemson since 1980 kept the Blue Devils in the thick of the ACC race and reinforced just how far Duke has come.

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