While winning the ACC was spectacular a season ago, the Duke Blue Devils will need to repeat in their league, and then some, to climb up the ranks of the best programs in the history of their conference. Duke may be every bit the basketball school, but the Blue Devils have won a bunch of games under the guidance of Steve Spurrier, David Cutcliffe, Mike Elko, and now Manny Diaz. That should matter.
Unfortunately, that did not stop USA TODAY Sports' Eddie Timanus from ranking Duke dead last...
- Clemson Tigers
- Florida State Seminoles
- Miami Hurricanes
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Louisville Cardinals
- SMU Mustangs
- Syracuse Orange
- Stanford Cardinal
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Boston College Eagles
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Virginia Cavaliers
- California Golden Bears
- Duke Blue Devils
Timanus did not beat around the bush why he picked the Blue Devils 17th out of 17 ACC programs.
"Somebody has to be No. 17 on the list, and it might seem odd at first glance to see the defending conference champion in that spot," Timanus wrote. "Indeed, the Blue Devils' apparent commitment to changing their football fortunes could move them up in future rankings, but their all-time .371 league win percentage keeps them here for now."
Yes, Duke may be the reigning conference champions, but a .371 all-time winning percentage in league play has certainly done a number on the Blue Devils' reputation. Admittedly, it will take some time for Duke to rectify its previous losing ways on the football field. However, rattling off more eight- and nine-win seasons could do the trick, as well as the occasional trip to Charlotte and whatnot.
For now, Diaz and the rest of his staff must put in the work to rewrite Duke's rough football history.
Duke Blue Devils undeniably slighted in ACC football program rankings
To have Duke ranked last in a league it just won does not make a ton of sense. While it is still too hard to gauge what conference newcomers such as Cal, SMU, and Stanford have done, Miami has never won the ACC before. It has been in the league for over a generation. Let that sink in. In the history of college football, Miami has a better history, but that was mostly accomplished outside of the ACC.
Frankly, Duke still needs to beat teams like Louisville far more regularly to have any say in the matter. In time, maybe Diaz can do for Duke what Bill Snyder did for Kansas State? The Wildcats were on the verge of dropping football before he became that program's iconic head coach. All it takes is one. The problem is that legendary coaches like Snyder and Frank Beamer come around once in a lifetime.
So what is Duke to do here? Now is not the time to wallow in one's misery. Duke really does not have any right now. The Blue Devils are in the midst of arguably their best stretch in program history. Diaz has won nine games in back-to-back years, including an ACC Championship. Elko left Durham better than he found it before heading to Texas A&M. Cutcliffe may have planted some good seeds for him.
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Overall, Duke may not have much of a leg to stand on in terms of skyrocketing up this list. However, there are plenty of programs ranked above them that have accomplished far less than them recently. Duke's football history of late is better than that of Virginia's, Boston College's, and North Carolina State's, to put it quite bluntly. With the ACC being so volatile, there should be some wiggle room here.
At this time, Diaz and his staff have to decide what kind of legacy they will want to leave in Durham.
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