The Duke football program has now put itself in a position to compete atop the ACC standings after securing its second straight victory, a 38-3 blowout win at Syracuse. Duke is now one of three ACC squads that have gotten off to a 2-0 start to conference play, and although any at-large hopes for a College Football Playoff spot are out the window, bringing the first ACC Championship to Durham since 1989 is still very much in the cards. The Blue Devils will deal with one of the lighter conference schedules for the remainder of the 2025 campaign, and there should be legitimate belief that the program can win out for the rest of the season.
What are Duke football's College Football Playoff chances after securing its second straight victory?
According to a post by CBS Sports, the Blue Devils have a 12.0% chance to make the College Football Playoff. Although that's still fairly low, it's a lot better than the position that Duke was in a couple of weeks ago.
With this number, the Blue Devils were given the fifth-best chance to make the CFP among ACC teams. The programs ahead of Duke are Miami (53.5%), Louisville (33.5%), Georgia Tech (28.2%), and SMU (12.7%).
It's fair to say Duke has looked better than SMU this season, and the program has the talent to take down any team in the ACC. With the new offensive firepower that Manny Diaz and his staff have generated, Duke looks like a completely revamped team compared to what it was through the first three games of the season.
What makes a CFP spot even more of a possible reality for the Blue Devils is the fact that its remaining ACC slate shouldn't pose too many challenges. Duke will only face two teams ranked in the top seven of the ACC Preseason Media Poll: this at home against Georgia Tech and at Clemson. With how disappointing the Tigers have looked this season, that is now a very winnable game for the Blue Devils.
Now, the odds only mean so much. Duke will have to go out and win all the games it should to put itself in position, but there's still a chance for the first CFP appearance in Duke football history.