Duke football gets slighted in ACC Preseason Poll and First-Team

The Duke football program was slighted in the ACC Preseason Polls and First-Team selections.

ACC Football season is finally here and the conference’s Preseason Polls and First-Team selections have been announced, and there are not many expectations surrounding the Blue Devils.

Duke is coming off of a disappointing 2019 season in which David Cutcliffe‘s team missed the postseason for the first time since 2016 following a 5-7 season, and it was just the second time missing a bowl game since 2011.

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Heading into an already wild and unpredictable 2020 season, Duke will get things started on Saturday, September 12 at 2:30 in South Bend, Indiana against Notre Dame, who is an honorary ACC member for this season.

As the conference’s preseason poll was just released, not many are expecting the Blue Devils to compete at the top of the ACC, placing Duke at No. 12 in the 15-team conference.

Only Boston College, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech were behind the Blue Devils in the ACC Preseason Poll as the Clemson Tigers were predicted to finish in first this season as well as win the ACC Championship Game over the Fighting Irish.

This season, there will be no divisions within the ACC, rather the top two teams in the conference will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-December.

ALSO READ: Chase Brice named as starting quarterback of Duke

North Carolina, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), Florida State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State round out places three through 11 in the poll.

Duke did have one player named to the ACC Preseason First-Team in kick returner Damond Philyaw-Johnson as he was named as one of the three specialists named to the team, alongside placekicker Nick Sciba from Wake Forest and punter Trenton Gill of North Carolina State.

In 17 total returns last season, Philyaw-Johnson ran two back for touchdowns and averaged 32.3 yards per return in his sophomore season.

ALSO READ: David Cutcliffe names team captains for 2020 season

Duke will try and outperform its preseason expectations this Saturday and try and shock the world in its goal of winning an ACC Championship.

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