Despite their Week 9 loss to the SMU Mustangs, the Duke Blue Devils stayed put at sixth in the USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings from Craig Meyer.
The Blue Devils still sit within the top half of the conference after taking a ranked SMU team to overtime thanks to six forced turnovers.
“The Blue Devils very nearly knocked off SMU in a game they had multiple opportunities to win late,” Meyer wrote, most obviously citing the 30-yard field goal that the Mustangs blocked on the final play of regulation.
Duke matched SMU’s touchdown in overtime but opted to play for the win with a 2-point conversion. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer said on Monday that the Blue Devils missed the winning play by about a foot.
Now with a 6-2 record, Duke ranks behind the Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, Pittsburgh Panthers, SMU Mustangs, and Syracuse Orange on Meyer’s list in order. None of those teams moved up or down in the Week 10 update either.
Looking to rebound from the loss, the Blue Devils will face the undefeated Miami Hurricanes in Week 10. Miami is coming off a 36-14 dominant victory over the Florida State Seminoles, and Duke coach Manny Diaz led the Hurricanes from 2019-21 before being replaced by current coach Mario Cristobal. Diaz insisted on Monday that the homecoming won’t be a revenge game.