Duke football was on a bye in Week 12, giving the Blue Devils a much-needed rest ahead of the final stretch for the regular season. Despite not doing anything, they still moved in The Athletic’s weekly ranking of all 134 FBS teams.
Ahead of Week 13, Chris Vannini ranked Duke as the No. 39 in the country, two spots lower than the week before. The Baylor Bears and Syracuse Orange, among other teams, jumped up thanks to some big wins over the weekend.
The new ranking also left the Blue Devils eighth among the ACC teams. The SMU Mustangs (12th), Miami Hurricanes (14th), and Clemson Tigers (19th) remain in their own class as conference favorites.
Now, Duke will face Virginia Tech. The Hokies, whom Vannini ranked 52nd with a 5-5 record, will look to take advantage of Duke’s defense in the run game. The Blue Devils rack up more tackles for loss than almost any team in the country, but their overall run defense hasn’t been amazing. The Blue Devils’ strength is, instead, their secondary.
After Virginia Tech, Duke will finish the season against Wake Forest (76th). If all goes well in the two games, the Blue Devils can finish the season 9-3 and earn a spot in a strong bowl game.