Duke Football: Winning the Coastal is a realistic goal for the Blue Devils

A few ACC teams’ results from Labor Day Weekend show that it wouldn’t be too foolish to dream that the Duke football squad will be playing on the first Saturday in December.

It’s way too early for Duke football fans to start making hotel reservations in Charlotte for Dec. 1.

That being said, the time might be coming. Because the 2018 version of Duke football seems perfectly fit to make fans party like it’s 2013 (the only time Duke has ever won the ACC Coastal Division).

After watching the Blue Devils dismantle Army in their season opener while some of their Coastal counterparts floundered, it’s realistic to think that Duke will stay in the race for a berth in the ACC Championship Game (played at Bank of America Stadium in the Queen City) until at least November.

More from Ball Durham

Now, the following news might be several years old, yet considering the historic lows the program reached before coach David Cutcliffe arrived in Durham in 2008, it still seems necessary to restate it:

The phrase “Duke football” is no longer an acceptable synonym for the word “laughingstock.”

Consider that the Blue Devils’ 34-14 victory over the Black Knights on Friday marked their 20th win in their previous 23 non-conference games that have taken place during the regular season. Duke has never had a better such 23-game stretch since it first joined a conference in 1930.

But non-conference results do not determine who will be crowned champions of the division. However, all early games matter when it comes to determining a team’s confidence moving forward.

And the team that most experts predicted to win the Coastal, the Miami Hurricanes, is currently searching for its lost swagger after the lower-ranked LSU Tigers embarrassed them in front of a national TV audience on Sunday night. The final score of 33-17 was not indicative of the lopsided levels of play between the two teams.

Another Coastal team, the UNC Tar Heels, showed plenty of weaknesses during its 24-17 loss at Cal.

Three Coastal teams — Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Pitt — all had meaningless wins against FCS schools.

That leaves Duke and Virginia Tech — who thumped Florida State, 24-3, on Monday night — as the only two schools in the division to come away from the weekend with quality victories (Army was a 10-win team last season).

Sure, it’s true that the Hokies always present a force to be reckoned with.

But the Blue Devils thus far have no blemishes to their confidence and appear to have a similar level of talent and experience as the group in Durham from 2013.

Therefore, when the Blue Devils open ACC play at home against the Hokies on Sept. 29, the game could end up being the deciding factor when it comes to which member of the Coastal Division will face Clemson in the ACC Championship (the Tigers’ invite to represent the Atlantic Division in Charlotte arrived the moment last year’s title game ended).

Or it’s possible Duke will revert to being the laughingstock of the conference. But don’t count on that as long as Cutcliffe is around.

Right now, the 11th-year coach of the Blue Devils has the passing game working efficiently. Junior quarterback Daniel Jones looks like a guy who has two years of starting experience under his belt, and redshirt junior Aaron Young appears to be on the verge of breaking out as a star at wide receiver.

The running game is just as strong. Redshirt sophomore Brittain Brown makes gaining five yards per rushing attempt look as easy as passing a class intended for football players in Chapel Hill.

And although the defense had a few miscues on Friday, there are more than enough playmakers on that side of the ball to give the Blue Devils a chance to compete against anyone in their division.

But what about Duke’s chances at Clemson on Nov. 17 (and on Dec. 1 if the Blue Devils were to punch their ticket to Charlotte)?

Next. Five best shooting guards of the Coach K era. dark

Well, let’s just say that making hotel reservations for the title game is one thing; expecting to watch the Blue Devils leave with a trophy from that event this year would provide an ideal example to help explain the definition of the word “insanity.”

Home/Duke Football