After a chaotic ACC Football weekend filled with upsets, the Duke football program is still in contention for the conference title despite falling to UConn 37-34. However, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has highlighted a nightmare scenario for the ACC, one in which Duke wins, and it leaves the ACC out of the College Football Playoff entirely. Both Louisville and Virginia were victims of major upsets this weekend, falling to California and Wake Forest, respectively. Now, the top of the conference is packed with five one-loss teams in conference play. Duke currently sits at 5-4, and if it manages to make the ACC Championship Game and ultimately win it, there's a scenario where no ACC team seals a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Greg McElroy reveals nightmare scenario where the ACC is left out of the CFP entirely
On Tuesday night's edition of SportsCenter ahead of the newest CFP rankings show, McElroy highlighted the scenario where a four-loss Duke team wins the conference title game, and as a result, the ACC is left out of the CFP entirely.
"Right now, the second-best odds in the ACC is Duke," McElroy said. "Duke is 5-4, they lost to UConn last week. If Duke makes it, wins the ACC, I don't see Duke being in front of James Madison who might be 12-1, winners of the Sun Belt [Conference]. So, I could see a scenario, they always say the top five conference champs go, that does not automatically include the Power 4. You could see a Sun Belt champ in 12-1 James Madison, and an American Conference champ in USF, Tulane, or North Texas."
Is there really a scenario where Duke wins its first ACC crown since 1989 and still isn't gifted its first CFP appearance ever? Looks like it.
In a world where the Blue Devils win out, make the ACC title game, and win it, they would end the season at 8-4 overall. Normally, it would be ridiculous to think that a four-loss squad could feasibly make the CFP, but with how hectic the top of the ACC is right now, the Blue Devils actually have a legitimate shot.
As McElroy stated, the top five conference champions get automatic bids, but that does not necessarily have to include all the Power 4. Obviously, the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 champs will be locked in. But if Duke wins the ACC Championship, it will be fighting with potentially a few one-loss or two-loss overall programs for a spot, which might not be a guarantee.
What would hurt the Blue Devils even more is if Tulane wins the American, as Duke already has a head-to-head loss against the Green Wave. If James Madison finishes the regular season undefeated in Sun Belt action and wins the conference title game, Duke could be in serious trouble.
According to FanDuel, the Blue Devils have the second-best odds to win the ACC Championship at +320, only behind Georgia Tech at +195, which didn't play this past week. All the Blue Devils can do at this point is control what they can control and win out, but there could be issues when the field is eventually selected if Duke is in the running.