Duke football is coming off of an extremely successful 2024 season in the first with head coach Manny Diaz, eclipsing a 9-4 record with a 5-3 tally in ACC play. The season ended with a 52-20 loss to Jaxson Dart and #14 Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
After the season's conclusion, the Blue Devils weren't hurt by the transfer portal nearly as much as many other power conference programs, and bolstered their unit through the portal themselves.
Duke currently sits with the #17 ranked transfer class by On3, headlined by quarterback Darian Mensah (Tulane) and other offensive skill players like receivers Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma) and Cooper Barkate (Harvard).
The program also kept two key pieces from last season's elite defensive unit in Chandler Rivers and Tre Freeman while also bringing in 4-star freshman Bryce Davis who was named the Sports Illustrated high school Defensive Player of the Year.
Yet despite this, sportsbooks don't seem to be giving Duke any credit in terms of the 2025-26 national championship odds that recently were made.
The Blue Devils were slotted +100000 odds at DraftKings to win the 2025-26 national championship, the same odds with schools such as Virginia, James Madison, Texas State, and UTSA.
Top 5 national championship odds overall
Ohio State +450
Texas +500
Georgia +550
Oregon +750
Penn State +900
Top 5 national championship odds of ACC teams
Clemson +2000
Miami +2500
SMU +8000
North Carolina/Louisville/Florida State +10000
Virginia Tech +15000
Five other ACC schools after those listed above also have better odds to win the title than Duke, so it seems like the Blue Devils are completely flying under the radar heading into the offseason.
The Blue Devils will have several chances to lock up victories over top teams next season to prove they belong in the College Football Playoff conversation, with games against Illinois, Clemson, and Georgia Tech, squads all ranked at On3's 'way too early' top 25.