Duke football schedule revealed with marquee season opener

The Duke football season will be opening with a massive matchup at home. 

In just first year with the Duke football program head coach Mike Elko delivered arguably the best season in the history of the school.

The Blue Devils were picked to finish last in the Coastal Division in the ACC Preseason Poll and fell just one game short — a victory over North Carolina — from making the ACC Championship Game.

Duke finished with an 9-4 (5-3 ACC) record, the most overall and conference victories since 2014, and capped off the season with a victory over Central Florida in the Military Bowl.

It felt like the first building block of a lengthy reign of success in Durham but things will be getting much more difficult next season for Elko and the Blue Devils with two National Championship contenders on its schedule.

Duke will open the regular season on Labor Day — Monday September 4 — at home against the Clemson Tigers and star sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnick.

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The time and network has not been announced but it is likely that the two teams could square off in the primetime evening slot to cap off the holiday weekend and give the Blue Devils a chance to make a national statement against one of the best programs in the country.

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Elko’s team will play five of six games at home to begin the season while hosting Lafayette and Northwestern following its showdown with Clemson as the program travels north to Connecticut to battle the upstart UConn Huskies in Week 4.

Duke will then host Notre Dame in Week 5 as the difficult beginning to its schedule wraps up with a bye week following its visit from the Fighting Irish.

Duke football has no easy challenges in ACC play

The Blue Devils host North Carolina State after its week off before back-to-back road games against Florida State and Louisville.

Duke will play three of its final four games at home with two straight matchups in Wallace Wade Stadium against Wake Forest and North Carolina before heading back on the road for the final time to Charlottesville to face Virginia.

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The Blue Devils game against Wake Forest will be a primetime Thursday night game in Durham.

Senior Day will be held on Saturday, November 25 against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Times and television networks have not been announced for any game on the schedule.

The slate for Duke is much tougher than a season ago but Mike Elko has set the standard for a new era of Blue Devil football and it is certain that he will not run away from any challenges.