Let's take a look at Duke football.
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Duke
Take out an aberration of a 2016 season, and the Duke Blue Devils have average 8.5 wins a season since 2013. Duke under David Cutcliffe is no longer an up and coming program. This is a football program built on a solid foundation, that is capable of being threat in the Coastal Division year in and year out. 2018 is no different. Duke has talent to be a major factor in this year’s Coastal Division race.
Will Go 9-3 (5-3) if:
QB Daniel Jones plays to the level most of us thinks he’s capable of. Daniel Jones has the physical tools to be an NFL quarterback. Last season he had an up and down season. Especially during the middle part of the season Jones really struggled. Towards the end of the season Jones was much better. If he puts a whole season together, Duke is a definite Coastal darkhorse.
If the back 7 on defense lives up to expectations Duke could be a top 25 defense. That’s a group with some All-ACC talent back there. The defensive line won’t quite the match the back 7, but it’s a good unit. This defense could quietly be one of the ACC’s best.
Will Go 5-7 (3-5) if:
The road schedule overwhelms Duke. Duke has to play 3 teams (Northwestern, Miami, and Clemson) that won 10 games or more last year. Baylor, Georgia Tech, and Pitt should be improved, and those are all on the road. The Blue Devils could easily lose 4 or 5 of those games, and that’s before facing Virginia Tech and pretty good Wake Forest team at home.
If Duke goes through an offensive slump for several games like they did last year, I don’t think they can reach a bowl. The offensive line needs to be better than year, and QB Daniel Jones needs to be more consistent. Duke looks pretty good on defense, but if they get exposed on offense – it could be a long season.
