Freddie and Brian's Duke Football Bowl Projections: The Road Ahead - Week 11

Brian Kennedy of Duke Football Talk

Duke fans, we have reached crunch time in the college football season.  Obviously last weekend was not the result anybody had hoped to see, but shoutout to Miami for showing the country why they are the 4th best team in the country.

Even with the loss, Duke still stands at 6-3, and the last 3 games against State/VT and Wake are all winnable.  And to be honest, Duke needs to win at least 2 of the 3 games to be in the front running for a premier ACC bowl.  This past weekend, more teams punched their ticket to postseason play, and even more could join the party after this weekend.

​I have faith that Duke will get back to its winning ways against NC State.  For now I still have Duke staying in Charlotte for the Duke's Mayo Bowl looking at the other teams and their records.  Here's to Duke getting back to their winning ways this weekend!

​Freddie Hodges of Duke Report ​

What a roller coaster of a game for Duke this past Saturday in Miami!  Miami jumped to an early 14-0 lead, but Duke clawed back, ultimately going up as much as 28-17 early in the third quarter when Murphy connected with Moore for a touchdown.  Duke fans could taste the upset, but then momentum shifted.  Miami took control and didn’t look back, charging to a decisive 53-31 victory and covering the spread.
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Looking ahead at ACC bowl projections, Clemson’s recent loss hurts the ACC’s chances of placing two teams in the College Football Playoff, creating a domino effect that may impact bowl spots for more ACC teams.  Though I’m personally not a Notre Dame fan, ACC supporters might hope to see them make the playoff.  If they don’t, there’s a chance they could snag a coveted ACC bowl slot.  Meanwhile, SMU has a shot at being the second ACC team in the CFP if they can win out and make the ACC Championship game, but the question remains: will the CFP committee give the ACC enough respect?

As for Duke, "ACC Chaos" continues as we enter the final weeks of the college football season.  With back-to-back losses, I’ve shifted my Duke bowl projection for the first time in four weeks, now projecting them to head north to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.  And, truthfully, I’m about as confident in this projection as I am that the “ACC Chaos” will settle down anytime soon!  Duke has three winnable games left this season, and whether they beat NC State this Saturday could influence my bowl projection yet again.

Stay tuned here at Blue Devils Blog for weekly updates on bowl projections.  With Duke making the short trip to Raleigh to face NC State, a win or loss could shake things up even more.  We’ll keep you posted as this season approaches its final stretch!