The Duke football team couldn’t clinch its spot in the college football postseason on Saturday, but even with the 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech, first-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his team still need just one more victory for a bowl berth.
ESPN’s Football Power Index thinks there’s a 96% chance that the Blue Devils pick up that sixth win somewhere down the line, so of course, when USA TODAY Sports writer Erick Smith released his updated bowl projections on Tuesday, Duke needed to be included.
Smith put Diaz and his team playing the Utah Utes in the Holiday Bowl, which is slated for December 27.
The Utes, in their first season as members of the Big 12, began the season as one of the favorites for the conference title. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has led his team to four victories in its first five games, but a 23-10 loss to Arizona in Week 5 seemed like a bad omen. Star quarterback Cam Rising continues to battle injuries as he’s only thrown 29 passes this year.
Smith also included an ACC shakeup at the top of his projections. The undefeated Miami Hurricanes overcame a 35-10 California lead on Saturday, but Smith thinks the Clemson Tigers will eventually win the conference and take the first-round bye.
The Hurricanes still reached the 12-team bracket as one of the at-large selections, but both ACC playoff teams lost in the first round of Smith’s bracket.