The Duke football program currently sits at 6-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play after taking down North Carolina on the road 32-25 this past weekend. Normally, a team with a 6-5 record with a week to go in the regular season would be miles away from any sort of conference championship game implications, but with the fantasy land that is the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference, the Blue Devils somehow have a path to the conference title game despite sitting with five losses. There are a few scenarios that could happen next weekend throughout the ACC, and if they do, it would mean a six-way tie for first place in the ACC with a 6-2 record.
Duke takes on Wake Forest at home this weekend to close out the regular season. Obviously, Manny Diaz and his guys will need to take down the Demon Deacons to make any potential for an ACC Championship berth real, but it's pretty wild to think that a 7-5 overall squad could make an appearance in a conference championship matchup, and potentially make the College Football Playoff.
Three wild scenarios reveal how Duke football can still make ACC Championship game
Heading into the final week of Duke's regular season, there are three scenarios in which Duke can earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC and clinch a berth in the title game in Charlotte.
Potential scenarios for Duke to clinch ACC Championship berth:
Win + Pitt loss + SMU loss OR
Win + Pitt loss + UVA loss + UNC win OR
Win + Pitt loss + UVA loss + NC State win (if Duke finishes higher than Miami in SportSource Analytics Ranking)
Now, if Virginia and SMU both win this weekend, all of this goes out the window. However, there's an actual possibility that a 7-5 Duke football team can make the ACC Championship and potentially the College Football Playoff if a ton of things go right.
For the sake of argument, let's say that somehow all of this happens, the Blue Devils make the conference title game, and win it. The outrage that would be sparked throughout the media at a 7-5 club possibly being in the CFP would reach a whole new level. But that's a conversation for another time.