The Duke football program fell to UConn 37-34 on the road on Saturday night, bringing its overall record to 5-4. However, this loss is actually a huge blessing in disguise, since it does not affect the Blue Devils' standing in the ACC rankings. There were a few ACC foes for the Blue Devils that fell in upset fashion, but their losses came in conference. The fact that the Blue Devils escaped a disappointing loss while remaining near the top of the ACC standings is a blessing that they must take advantage of throughout the remainder of the regular season. With a season-deciding matchup on deck this weekend, Duke will need to put this loss behind it and prepare for a potential monumental victory.
Duke football's upset loss to UConn was actually a huge blessing in disguise for the Blue Devils
The Blue Devils' record dropped to 5-4 on the season after the defeat to the Huskies, but their record remained at 4-1 in conference play. After some wild results across the ACC this past weekend, Duke is still right in the mix to bring the first ACC Championship to Durham since 1989.
Over this past weekend, No. 20 Virginia fell to Wake Forest 16-9, and No. 19 Louisville lost to California 29-26. These losses came within ACC play, which pays massive dividends for the Blue Devils.
Louisville now drops to 4-2 in ACC action, and Virginia has now suffered its first in-conference defeat. The Blue Devils more or less leave the weekend without a blemish, as they are still one of five ACC teams with just one loss in conference action. Now with no more undefeated programs, the Blue Devils' upcoming matchup becomes much more significant.
This weekend, Duke will host the Cavaliers, now with a chance to climb up the ACC standings even more. Virginia is now 5-1 in conference play, and Duke is 4-1. With a win, the Blue Devils could separate themselves and make an ACC Championship that much more likely.
Duke has had two marquee opportunities to collect wins over ranked squads at home, but has fallen to both Illinois and Georgia Tech. However, the Blue Devils can make both of those results practically irrelevant if they can take down UVA this weekend.
Obviously, Duke wants to stack wins, and losing a winnable game is never what head coach Manny Diaz wants to see. But the fact that it was out of conference is a major development that Duke fans can use to recover from the stunning defeat.