The Duke football program wasn't included in the Preseason Associated Press Top 25, which didn't come as a shock to most. However, several of the Blue Devils' 2025 opponents showed up somewhere in the rankings, giving Duke several opportunities to earn marquee victories and move into the top 25.
So, based on these preseason rankings and the teams right outside looking in, how many ranked opponents will the Blue Devils face this coming season?
Duke 2025 football schedule may be too light to build top tier resume
Manny Diaz and his guys will have a chance to face Clemson (No. 4 in AP Poll) on the road and Illinois (No. 12 in AP Poll) at Wallace Wade Stadium. As of now, those are the only two matchups on the schedule against currently ranked teams, and there aren't many opponents on the rest of Duke's slate that could realistically make a push inside.
The most likely game that Duke has against a currently unranked team that could change is on October 18th at home against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were picked fourth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll and have legitimate upside to be the second-best team in the conference behind Clemson. Georgia Tech opens its season against Colorado and plays both Clemson and Virginia Tech before the Blue Devils. If Haynes King leads his club to a 6-0 or 5-1 start, there's a good chance GT is ranked come its matchup in Durham.
Outside of that, there isn't a team on Duke's schedule that has a higher likelihood than not of being ranked by the time the Blue Devils face off against it. Tulane was slotted just outside today's Top 25, which Duke faces in Week 3, but with the Green Wave having its first two games against Northwestern and South Alabama, it's tough to imagine they crack the ranks that early.
Duke will face North Carolina in the second-to-last week of the regular season, and if Bill Belichick can bring his NFL success immediately to the college game, the Heels could move into the Top 25 by the back end of the regular season. However, there isn't much hype around UNC in Belichick's first year after offseason drama seemed to get the best of him.
With the Blue Devils only facing two of the top seven teams in the ACC Preseason Media Poll, the few ranked matchups Duke does have will be all the more pivotal for the program to be true contenders. Mark your calendars for that Week Two contest at Wallace Wade against the 12th-ranked Fighting Illini.