David Cutcliffe on Duke Getting Poll Votes

"I think they saw a good football team in Duke"

Duke lost its opener, but the Blue Devils were clearly impressive in their game at Notre Dame. The Blue Devils received 13 votes in the Coaches Top 25 poll. That wasn’t enough to crack the rankings, but it was still a show of respect.

“I had a number of coaches text me,” David Cutcliffe said. “I think they saw a good football team in Duke. I think that’s legit. To stay there, to get votes or to have someone consider you to be a really good football team, you’ve got to win.”

Duke was within one possession of current No. 7 Notre Dame in the second half, before the Irish scored the final 10 points of the game.

“I don’t think there’s any question people realize the ability this Notre Dame team has,” Cutcliffe said. “I think this Notre Dame team is better than they were a year ago. I don’t like coming close. I like playing well. We did play well. We didn’t play well enough to win, but certainly, we earned some consideration.”

Cutcliffe and Duke also found out about an ACC schedule change—moving up the Virginia game by nearly two months—shortly before kickoff.

“I was asked to confirm it late Friday night,” Cutcliffe, who complained about the timing after the game, calling it a distraction, said. “I did not see it coming, because I’m not listening to reports. I didn’t know exactly why initially. But I said, ‘If that’s what we have to do, we can do it.’ My suggestion is we wait until Sunday to release those changes out of respect to teams and staffs that are preparing to play a game.”

Duke will now play six straight games before getting a bye week.

“Yes, it does put a lot of work in,” Cutcliffe said. “We always work two weeks out in preparation of an opponent. What it also does with us is it puts us with another opener, where we have no film of an upcoming opponent who have played a game.”

After opening with Notre Dame in the first game for both teams, this week’s foe, Boston College is playing its first game of the year against the Blue Devils. Virginia also hasn’t played yet this year.

“We’ll have three opening games in a row which is unique to say the least,” Cutcliffe said. “We have great respect for Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and the Virginia program. We may know a little bit more about them, but still, it’s uniquely different. But hey, it’s 2020, so we just keep moving forward.”