The Duke football program is coming into the 2025 season with major expectations, although most analysts around the country don't seem to be too bought into the hype with the Blue Devils. However, this stat from the 2024 college football season will give Duke fans hope that Manny Diaz and his club can prove the doubters wrong this year.
On3 college football insider Brett McMurphy revealed how the preseason AP Top 25 might not be that relevant at all, which is good news for Duke fans. In 2024, 13 of the 25 teams in the final AP Top 25 of the season began the year unranked. Six of those programs finished in the top 15, and three finished in the top 10.
In 2024, 13 of 25 teams in final @AP_Top25 poll began the year unranked. Their final rankings:
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 7, 2025
7-Arizona State
8-Boise State
10-Indiana
12-SMU
13-BYU
15-Iowa State
16-Illinois
19-South Carolina
20-Syracuse
21-Army
23-UNLV
24-Memphis
25-Colorado
This goes to show that just because a program isn't garnering serious attention on a national scale early on with the media, that doesn't mean a conference championship or College Football Playoff spot isn't in the mix at all.
The Blue Devils could be a prime example of this in 2025. Diaz is coming off a highly successful first season in Durham, bringing a season of nine or more wins to the program for just the fourth time in program history. Beyond that, Diaz has also completely revamped the roster for 2025.
He brought in Darian Mensah, one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal. As just a redshirt sophomore, the former Tulane QB has a chance to develop into one of the best at his position nationally. Additionally, the Blue Devils landed Cooper Barkate from Harvard and Andrel Anthony from Oklahoma, two talented receivers in the portal, and the running back position is extremely deep after the program returned Jaquez Moore and Peyton Jones while also bringing in three-star recruit Nate Sheppard.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Devils are bringing back several key pieces from a defensive unit that was one of the best in college football last season. In 2024, Duke ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss (116), fourth in the nation in sacks (43), and 26th nationally in third-down conversion percentage (33.8).
However, the media is still not sold on the program despite it having the tools to be a true contender. Duke was picked sixth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll, and its odds to win the ACC are a lot lower than they probably should be. So, Duke heads into 2025 with a stat like this on their shoulders to hopefully make some noise.