Freddie and Brian's Bowl Projections: - The Road Ahead Week 15

After a brief hiatus in Week 14—thanks to Brian and me heading to Las Vegas to catch Duke Basketball (and me picking the wrong flight back)—we’re back with our Week 15 bowl projections. My bad for the missed week, but let’s dive into what has been an absolutely thrilling Duke Football season.

Brian Kennedy of Duke Football Talk 

Duke fans, I am at a loss for words as I write this. NO, not because of how Duke walked off against Wake Forest with no time left in regulation, but with all that transpired in the ACC. First things first, how about Duke finishing the season 9-3. No one in the media, except the Duke Football Talk crew and Freddie, gave this team a shot to win more that 4 games. Now Duke is playing the waiting game alongside all Duke fans as bowl games will come out on December 8th.

When I was watching the games this past Saturday afternoon, I thought my bowl projections were looking stout. I had a good idea of where I thought Duke was going to be playing.....then the Miami and Syracuse game happened. Kudos to the Orange, they did a great job in showing America they are the real deal. The only down side is Miami is out of the ACC title game, which muddies the waters.

SMU and Clemson will vie for the ACC title, and the outcome of the game could very well sway the outcome of bowls. A reminder Duke fans, Miami had 0 wins against ranked opponents this year. (You read that right) With what I am reading from various sports writers, the committee looks at these things when seeding for the playoffs. Honestly, if SMU wins the title, I could Miami getting in the back door and in the playoffs.

On the flip side, if Clemson were to silence their critics and defeat SMU, there could be a realistic chance the ACC only gets 1 team in. (Duke doesn't want that) So with all that being said, Freddie and I are going to call an audible as we head into selction weekend. We are giving our predictions of where we think Duke will go if SMU wins, and if Clemson wins.

First, if SMU wins. This is the outcome that Duke fans want, as I stated earlier, Miami could still get in the playoff. If SMU does in fact win, I still have Duke in Florida playing in the Gator Bowl. This is going off SMU and Miami getting in, Clemson going to the Pop-Tarts, and Louisville heading west to the Holiday Bowl.

On the flip side, if Clemson were to win, and the scenario played out where only 1 ACC school made the playoffs, I see Duke in Charlotte for the Duke's Mayo Bowl. It's simple, with SMU and Miami out of the playoff, they would take one of the top tier ACC Bowl games, which would bump the Devils down. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but part of me wants to head to Florida.

​And don't worry Duke fans, Freddie and I are going to make sure we put out our final bowl projections, once all the conference title games are played. As a famous theologian once said, "The only thing that is for sure, is that nothing is for sure." Until later this week Duke fans!

​Freddie Hodges of Duke Report 

First off, what an exciting regular season for Duke Football. Back in my preseason predictions, I had Duke finishing 7-5 and heading to the Gasparilla Bowl. Fast forward to now, and the Blue Devils sit at 9-3, with a legitimate shot at a top-tier bowl game. This season has been nothing short of remarkable, and as I reflect, there’s a lot to be thankful for.

Duke brought the Victory Bell back to Durham for the first time in years, and also claiming the title of state champs after beating North Carolina, NC State, and most recently, Wake Forest. Even in the three losses this season, Duke was competitive and just a few plays away from potentially finishing with double-digit wins. Credit to Brian, the crew at Duke Football Talk, and me (humble brag) for believing this team could deliver a winning season. For the record, that’s two years in a row I’ve taken the Over on Duke’s win total and watched FanDuel pay me out.

Now, let’s talk bowl projections. As Brian mentioned, we’re calling an audible this week and offering two possible scenarios. With the ACC Championship game on Saturday, things will become clearer, but for now, let’s embrace the chaos.

Speaking of chaos, this past weekend delivered peak "ACC Chaos." Georgia Tech took Georgia to an unheard-of eight overtimes before falling short. Louisville demolished Kentucky to cap an impressive season, and Syracuse stunned Miami in a game no one saw coming.

Looking ahead, the ACC still has three teams in the mix for the College Football Playoff: Miami, SMU, and Clemson. The question remains: Will the ACC get one or two teams into the playoff?

Currently, SMU is a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson in the ACC Championship. If SMU wins, I agree with Brian—both SMU and Miami should make the playoff, which would send Clemson to the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Duke to the Gator Bowl.

If Clemson wins, things get trickier. The ACC could still place two teams in the playoff (Clemson and SMU, even with two losses), but if only one makes it, the domino effect likely lands Duke in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

As Brian and I have said, we’ll release our final bowl projections after all the conference title games are settled. There’s still a lot to unfold, so buckle up and enjoy Championship Weekend!

Stay tuned to Blue Devils Blog for our final bowl projections coming this weekend!