USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg released the college football re-rank on Tuesday, slotting each FBS program somewhere between first and 134th in the country ahead of the 2024 season.
The Duke Blue Devils, who won 17 games over the past two years, finished just inside the top 60 at 56th.
After losing head coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M and quarterback Riley Leonard to Notre Dame, the Blue Devils brought in Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and Texas transfer Maalik Murphy to lead them forward.
While a CBS Sports panel released on Monday had some writers debating whether the Blue Devils could be the worst team in the ACC, Myerberg kept some faith in that duo. Duke came in as the 10th-highest team in the conference in Myerberg’s rankings, a little above their 11th-place finish in the preseason media poll.
Clemson, stunningly, took the top ACC spot at No. 8 overall after their worst season since 2010. Florida State, last year’s defending champion, finished 11th, and NC State, Louisville, and Virginia Tech all made the top 20.
North Carolina, despite losing first-round quarterback Drake Maye and star wideout Tez Walker, ended up more than 20 spots above the Blue Devils at 32nd.