In Week 13 of the college football season, Duke edged out Virginia Tech for a 31-28 victory in its final home game of the year. The win clinched the Blue Devils’ third straight eight-win season with one game left on the schedule.
Thanks to their win, Duke moved up two spots in The Athletic’s latest ranking of all 134 FBS teams from Chris Vannini. The Blue Devils, now riding a two-game win streak with a bye week in the middle, moved up two spots to No. 37.
Only six ACC teams finish higher in Vannini’s rankings. The SMU Mustangs (eighth) are the conference’s only team in the top 10 with the Miami Hurricanes (11th), Clemson Tigers (17th), Syracuse Orange (28th), Louisville Cardinals (29th), and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (30th) all above the Blue Devils.
Virginia Tech hasn’t been amazing this season, currently holding a 5-6 record, but the Hokies weren’t an easy opponent for Duke. Duke’s defense is strong due to their passing defense, not their rushing defense. Virginia Tech’s strength is its run game. Despite that poor matchup, the Blue Devils won anyway, fending off a late-game comeback attempt by the Hokies.
Duke has one game left in the season with an opportunity to finish 9-3, their second nine-win season in three years. The Blue Devils will face Wake Forest in Winston-Salem at noon on Saturday.
If they can beat Demon Deacons and win their bowl game, though, it will be the first time they’ve won 10 games since 2013 and the second time in school history.