You win some, you lose some. While Duke has done a lot more winning on the college football gridiron in recent years, there is still work to be done. Manny Diaz has won 18 games over his first two seasons on the job. However, he still has to carry the weight of a football program that has historically paled in comparison to its prestigious basketball powerhouse. He must take it all, one game at a time.
After looking at all the teams Duke has never played before in FBS, what about the teams it has never beaten before? Yes, all of those teams it has never played before fall into this category as well, but let's focus on the ones where there is an L or two in the loss column, but no victories to be had. Duke is like every Power Four team of note. They cannot beat them all, but what if they can? Let's check it out!
Let's start with the Power Four before working our way through the Group of Six in this wild exercise.
Power Four programs the Duke Blue Devils still do not have a win over
Per Winsipedia, these are all the Power Four programs Duke has yet to get a win over in football.
- Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1)
- Georgia Bulldogs (0-1)
- Louisville Cardinals (0-4)
- Michigan Wolverines (0-6)
- Missouri Tigers (0-1)
- Oklahoma Sooners (0-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (0-1)
- Texas A&M Aggies (0-1)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-1)
- UCLA Bruins (0-1)
- USC Trojans (0-3)
- Wisconsin Badgers (0-1)
Entering the 2026 college season, the Duke football program has yet to register a win over these dozen teams. While being 0-6 against Michigan and 0-3 in games with USC do sting a little bit, the really bad one on Duke's ledger is being 0-4 vs. Louisville. Granted, the Cardinals only joined the ACC a little over a decade ago. That being said, you cannot be 0-for when it comes to a conference rival.
For the most part, these 12 teams do make some sense, outside of Duke never beating Louisville.
Group of Six programs the Duke Blue Devils still do not have a win over
And yes, Duke still needs to get a win past one team currently competing at the Group of Six level.
- Oregon State Beavers (0-1)
As mentioned before in the article about all the teams Duke has never played before in football, it really does not venture out of its comfort zone when it comes to the Group of Six. Having Oregon State on here does feel like an anomaly. This is because the Beavers used to compete in the Pac-12 of yesteryear, one that carried a Power Five label. Realignment has knocked that school down a peg.
After seeing a full baker's dozen of teams Duke needs to get a win over, will an opportunity emerge?
What FBS teams could Duke get its first win over in the coming season?
At this point in time, none of these 13 teams are officially on any future Duke football schedule. Bowl season could present an opportunity for Duke to be matched up with most of them. However, the only way Duke could potentially face Louisville this season would be in the ACC Championship Game or in the College Football Playoff. While they could meet in Charlotte, the playoffs are not very likely.
As far as potentially drawing any of the other 12 during bowl season, you need to look at a Power Four team that could finish with a similar record. If Duke were to go something like 6-6 or 7-5, maybe they could play Cincinnati out of the Big 12 or UCLA out of the Big Ten? If Duke won eight or nine regular-season games, Missouri, Ole Miss, or USC could be on the horizon. This is a total crapshoot.
Ultimately, Duke positioned itself to where this list of teams it has never beaten before could shrink. They do not make it a point to play anyone of note out of the Group of Six. Over the last half-decade or so, Duke has been a frequent bowl-game participant. That is how teams get interesting matchups on the docket that otherwise would not manifest. Maybe Duke gets to face one of them this season?
For now, let's keep the main thing the main thing to be ready for Louisville whenever that is day arises.
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