College Football: 10 teams doomed to be worse in 2016
By John Buhler
David Cutcliffe has done phenomenal work helping turn around the Duke Blue Devils football program the last eight seasons. He helped a basketball powerhouse school in the ACC win the Coastal Division in 2013 and get Duke to a bowl game each of the last four seasons.
That being said, there is a decent chance that Duke football misses out on a holiday season bowl this winter because the Blue Devils’ 2016 NCAA season schedule will be a challenge. Duke should easily win games against North Carolina Central, Wake Forest, and Army this fall, but the ACC Coastal is going to be a bloodbath.
The Blue Devils also draw two awful non-conference games in back-to-back weeks on the road in late September: at Northwestern on September 17th and at Notre Dame on September 24th. While they should beat cross-division rival Wake Forest at home on September 10th, Duke’s other ACC Atlantic matchup will be on the road in Louisville on October 14th.
To make a bowl game, Duke is going to have to beat teams like Wake Forest, Virginia, and Virginia Tech at home to even have a chance. Georgia Tech should be better this fall after a disastrous 2015 NCAA season. Virginia might be better than expected, too.
North Carolina, Miami, and Pittsburgh, Duke’s three biggest threats in the ACC Coastal, just so happen to be the Blue Devils’ last three regular season games. While they get the Tar Heels at home November 10th, the Blue Devils have to go to Heinz Field on November 19th and Hard Rock Stadium on November 26th.
Duke went 8-5 (4-4) in 2015, but an improved ACC Coastal Division, and having teams like Louisville, Northwestern, and Notre Dame on the schedule should knock the Blue Devils a few games back in the win column. Cutcliffe will figure out how to get to at least 6-6, but Duke’s days of being an ACC Coastal contender might now be over.
Next: 2. Memphis Tigers.