Duke Report – ACC Regular Season Records & Bowl Projections

After ACC Kickoff back in July — and then a quick hiking escape up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire — I sat down for one last deep dive into every ACC team’s schedule. Armed with my Phil Steele magazine, I went game by game, penciling in W’s and L’s until my notebook looked like a Vegas odds board.

Let’s just say I may have overthought these projections (lol), but that’s half the fun. And now, with Week 1 finally here, I’m ready to roll.

If you check out my “fancy paper graphic” photo attached, you’ll notice a few changes from my ACC ballot back in July. Here’s the rundown of my final Duke Report ACC projections for 2025:
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• Two ACC teams in the College Football Playoff: Clemson and Miami
• Two 10-win squads outside the CFP: Georgia Tech and SMU
• Two 9-win teams: Duke and Louisville
• With that setup, I’ve got Duke landing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte this January
• UNC at 8 wins in Bill Belichick’s debut season — soft schedule helps — and headed to the Pinstripe Bowl in New York
• A handful of other ACC teams sneaking to 5 - 7 wins and bowl eligibility
• And yes, five ACC teams missing out on bowl season

This was a fun deep dive, nothing more. If I really knew how this all shakes out, trust me — I’d be in Vegas cashing tickets instead of scribbling on paper.
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Hope you enjoy the projections — now let’s bring on the season!