The Duke Blue Devils had the undefeated Miami Hurricanes on the ropes through two-and-a-half quarters on Saturday afternoon, but head coach Manny Diaz and his team couldn’t slam the door on the ACC favorites in a 53-31 loss.
As a result, despite Miami looking like a firm College Football Playoff contender, Duke dropped one spot to 61st in the ESPN Football Power Index rankings on Sunday.
The low ranking seems a little unfair given that Duke’s last two games included an overtime loss to the 8-1 SMU Mustangs, the No. 16 team in the rankings, and an 11-point lead over the Hurricanes.
“We showed that we can play toe to toe with anybody in the country,” Diaz said after the game.
Despite the low placement among Power Four programs, ESPN still likes the Blue Devils’ chances to reach eight wins. With a 6-3 record and upcoming games against NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest, the popular analytical formula gives Duke a projected win total of 7.6.
The Hurricanes moved up one spot to ninth in the rankings, still the top ACC program, but the Louisville Cardinals vaulted themselves up to 14th after their road upset of the Clemson Tigers.
The Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained the top five teams in order.