How Duke Football Inching Closer to Well-Earned Respect

The Duke Blue Devils enter their bye week undefeated after trouncing the William & Mary Tribe, 62-7, in a game where the Blue Devils have rarely blown out a team at this magnitude.

Manny Diaz is 22-9 as Duke's head coach and is getting the best out of a group that seems to have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. This program's success is not going unnoticed as more critics begin to take a look at Duke's start to the season. With the ACC's contenders slowly taking shape, one has to wonder whether the Blue Devils are about to become a surprise program in the ACC, or if this is the new norm in Durham.

Gaining the AP Poll's Respect

Diaz Duke — Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz reacts during the first quarter against the William & Mary Tribe at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If this is the start of ACC football dominance by the Blue Devils, it is sneaking up on the rest of the sport. Is it realistic? No, not yet, at least. However, Diaz's team is a feisty bunch that had 101 voters in the Associated Press's Top 25 rankings vote for Duke.

The most notable person to have Duke in their top 25 among the voters is College GameDay host Rece Davis, who ranks the Blue Devils at No. 20 in the poll. Frankly, I concur with Davis, though the program hasn't had any convincing wins against competitive ACC programs and likely won't until after the bye week.

Davis Duke — Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; ESPN personality Rece Davis interviews Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Technically, Duke is the No. 27-ranked team behind the Wisconsin Badgers and Missouri Tigers (No. 25). I would argue that the Blue Devils are at least better than the two teams ahead of them, but on the bright side, Duke is the third-highest-ranked ACC team in the country, behind No. 21 SMU and No. 4 Miami.

Nate Sheppard Has Influence

Sheppard Duke — Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs the ball during the second quarter against the William & Mary Tribe at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One thing I know for certain about how the 101 voters were swayed by the Blue Devils in their respective polls is that Nate Sheppard's performance to the start of the season has led the way. Sheppard is arguably the best running back in the country, along with Florida's Jadan Baugh, and his special abilities have made Duke a force on offense, opening up the passing game as we saw against William & Mary and the three opponents before them.

I don't think Duke will officially earn the nation's respect until they are ranked in the Top 25, which could happen this weekend during their bye week if a couple of teams drop their respective games.

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