The Duke Blue Devils clinched their third straight eight-win season on Saturday night, defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies 31-28 in their final home game of the season. As a result, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg included them among his top 25 teams in his college football re-rank on Monday.
Myerberg moved the Blue Devils up three spots to 24th in his latest rankings, one spot ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes.
The aerial duo of [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] and [autotag]Eli Pancol[/autotag] certainly made an impression during Week 13. Pancol was named ACC Receiver of the Week after he caught two touchdowns longer than 75 yards on Duke’s first two possessions, ending the night with 188 yards and three scores.
The third touchdown connection gave Murphy his 25th scoring pass of the year, a new single-season school record.
Only three other ACC schools finished higher than Duke in Myerberg’s rankings. The Miami Hurricanes (No. 7) and SMU Mustangs (No. 8) will likely play in Charlotte for the conference title, but if Syracuse can find a way to upset Miami, the Clemson Tigers (No. 11) would take their place. All three squads remain in contention for a College Football Playoff appearance, either through the first-round bye as conference champion or via an at-large bid.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, after a 41-21 loss to Boston College, dropped down 10 spots to No. 72.