The Duke Blue Devils could put the finishing touches on their second 10-win season in school history at the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl next month, but USA TODAY Sports writer Eddie Timanus doesn’t see much to get excited about in the postseason battle.
Timanus ranked all 35 bowl games on the college football schedule on Friday, and he thinks Duke’s game against Ole Miss is the third-worst pairing on the slate.
He cited the absence of starting quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], who declared for the transfer portal on Monday, as a contributing factor. While the Blue Devils did grab a commitment from former Tulane star Darian Mensah on Wednesday, he won’t be eligible to play in Jacksonville.
Ole Miss also finished with a 9-3 record, but the Rebels finished within the top seven in scoring offense and defense as they remained in the College Football Playoff hunt until Week 13.
If the Duke faithful want some bragging rights, however, Timanus put the North Carolina Tar Heels game against the Connecticut Huskies at the lowest spot on his list.
Duke’s game against Ole Miss kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on January 2.