Duke Blue Devils, USC Trojans back in AP top 25

By Josh Davis | Nov 17, 2013

Nov 16, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe gets doused by players long snapper Thomas Hennessy (57) and offensive tackle Perry Simmons (72) as the Blue Devils beat the Miami Hurricanes 48-30 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /

In football, the Duke Blue Devils have been irrelevant for so long that you almost forget they play football. They’re almost never mentioned, but this year that has changed. Just how long has it been since the Blue Devils have been in the AP top 25?

No. 25 Duke ranked for the first time since Dec. 6, 1994. Everything with Duke goes back to 1994.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 17, 2013

Duke has won six straight games, including beating Virginia Tech and then No. 23 Miami (FL) yesterday 48-30 to give them the opportunity to control their own destiny in the ACC Championship race.

Nov 16, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler (6) celebrates after a 47-yard field goal by Andre Heidari (not pictured) with 19 seconds left against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated Stanford 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Meanwhile the USC Trojans are back in the top 25 at No. 23 in the AP poll. Ed Orgeron’s Trojans haven’t been ranked since a week two loss to Washington State, when Orgeron was still an assistant.

Of course USC had a huge win at home last night against the 4th ranked Stanford Cardinal to put Oregon back in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 North. Perhaps more importantly the Trojans kept themselves in a position to win the South, for at least one more week. The ASU Sun Devils could wrap up the South with a win next week at UCLA.

The AP poll does not have bearing on the BCS race, only the coach’s poll does.

Home/College Football