The Duke Blue Devils almost broke into the US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday on the heels of their 23-17 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
With a 10-win season still on the table with a potential bowl victory, the Blue Devils fell behind their in-state rivals 17-3 early in the third quarter. However, Duke stormed back once again thanks to the second-half performance of quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag]. The former Texas Longhorn completed 16 of his last 20 passes for 153 yards with two total touchdowns, including the winning 39-yard pass to Jordan Moore on the final play.
The Blue Devils now have 39 votes in the coaches poll, leaving them in an unofficial 27th as the second-leading team in the Receiving Votes category.
Four ACC teams made the top 25, led by the SMU Mustangs (No. 7) after they put the finishing touches on an undefeated conference schedule with a 38-6 victory over California on Saturday. Instead of presumed favorite Miami, SMU will face the Clemson Tigers (No. 17) in the conference title game. The Hurricanes dropped to 14th after they lost a 42-38 shootout to Syracuse on the road, dropping to 10-2 with a worse conference record than Dabo Swinney’s program.
The Orange, also 9-3 thanks to the stunning victory, joined the bottom of the rankings at 25th.
Check out the complete US LBM Coaches Poll below.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 12-0 | 1,325 (53) |
| 2 | Texas Longhorns | 11-1 | 1,272 |
| 3 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 11-1 | 1,192 |
| 4 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 11-1 | 1,165 |
| 5 | Georgia Bulldogs | 10-2 | 1,104 |
| 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10-2 | 1,025 |
| 7 | SMU Mustangs | 11-1 | 977 |
| 8 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 10-2 | 976 |
| 9 | Indiana Hoosiers | 11-1 | 895 |
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 11-1 | 840 |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 9-3 | 733 |
| 12 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 9-3 | 700 |
| 13 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 10-2 | 665 |
| 14 | Miami Hurricanes | 10-2 | 646 |
| 15 | Ole Miss Rebels | 9-3 | 638 |
| 16 | Iowa State Cyclones | 10-2 | 565 |
| 17 | Clemson Tigers | 9-3 | 457 |
| 18 | BYU Cougars | 10-2 | 419 |
| 19 | UNLV Rebels | 10-2 | 255 |
| 20 | Missouri Tigers | 9-3 | 229 |
| 21 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 9-3 | 225 |
| 22 | Colorado Buffaloes | 9-3 | 215 |
| 23 | Army Black Knights | 10-1 | 196 |
| 24 | Memphis Tigers | 10-2 | 187 |
| 25 | Syracuse Orange | 9-3 | 108 |
Dropped Out
No. 18 Tulane; No. 19 Texas A&M
Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 90; Duke 39; Tulane 37; Louisville 18; Kansas State 15; Louisiana 11; Michigan 2; Georgia Tech 2; Miami (OH) 1; Iowa 1