Saturday Blitz ACC Power Rankings Week 4
3. Duke Blue Devils, 4-0 (0-0), Defeated Tulane Green Wave 47-13 Last Saturday
Yes they are 4-0. Yes, it’s against inferior competition just like N.C. State. But David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils have passed the eye test in their first four games. Unlike N.C. State, Duke hasn’t given any of its opponents a chance to pull off an upset.
What is surprisingly impressive is that Duke has a top 10 scoring defense right now and a very strong running game. Those are the two factors that have led to the Blue Devils blowing out opponents so far this year.
But don’t short-sell Anthony Boone at quarterback. Boone has been pretty efficient, completing more than 60 percent of his passes for 7 touchdowns and 1 interception, so he deserves lots of credit as he develops into another one of Cutcliffe’s great coaching jobs at quarterback. They will finally prove as a team if they deserve this top 5 ranking over the next two games with road games against the Miami Hurricanes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. This is where they prove whether or not last year was a fluke.