The Blue Devils continued their ascent up the college football world on Saturday night, scoring two touchdowns on their first four offensive plays en route to a 31-28 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies.
However, despite Duke’s 8-3 record, head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his team remain well down the rankings on the ESPN Football Power Index.
The Blue Devils rose three spots to 55th in the national rankings on Sunday, and the improvement actually moved them back above the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC tumbled down to 57th after it spent Saturday on the wrong side of a 41-21 Boston College blowout.
However, several teams with worse records remain above Duke, even just in the ACC. The Eagles (6-5) vaulted up to 50th with their big win over the Tar Heels, the California Golden Bears (6-5) remain 46th despite nearly losing to Stanford, and the Hokies (5-6) themselves still managed to stay within the top 40.
The SMU Mustangs (12th) clinched a spot in the ACC title game with their victory over Virginia, and if the Miami Hurricanes (10th) beat Syracuse in Week 14, they’ll join them in Charlotte. However, an Orange upset would send the Clemson Tigers (14th) to the big game.