Duke Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
2017 schedule
| Week | Date | School | Opponent | |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | Duke | vs. | NC Central |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | Duke | vs. | Northwestern |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | Duke | vs. | Baylor |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | Duke | @ | UNC |
| 5 | Sept. 29 | Duke | vs. | Miami |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | Duke | @ | Virginia |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | Duke | vs. | Florida St |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | Duke | vs. | Pittsburgh |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | Duke | @ | Va Tech |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 11 | Nov. 11 | Duke | @ | Army |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | Duke | vs. | Georgia Tech |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | Duke | @ | Wake Forest |
The Duke Blue Devils have an interesting schedule for the 2017 season. After a Week One matchup with North Carolina Central, the rest of the schedule gets harder by the week. The Northwestern WIldcats will be no easy task, nor will the Baylor Bears. The Blue Devils have lost the past three games to the Wildcats. It is Duke’s first meeting with Baylor since 1958.
After Northwestern, the Blue Devils face rival North Carolina, their lone conference victory of 2016. Duke got a 28-27 upset victory late last season to avoid going winless in ACC play.
Duke gets Miami, then a grudge match with the Virginia Cavaliers before facing Florida State, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech (on the road). Wins could be hard to come by for the Blue Devils entering November but their bye week couldn’t come at a better time.
Prediction: 4-8 (2-6 ACC)
The strength of schedule is likely to work against the Duke Blue Devils in 2017. Their schedule ranks 26th on ESPN’s Football Power Index. With teams like the Hurricanes, Hokies and Seminoles on the schedule, the rank is well-worth mentioning.
Next: 2017 ACC season preview, predictions
There’s a such thing as parity in the ACC, though. Predictions only go so far, especially when it comes to the team like the Duke Blue Devils. Their recruiting classes have ranked 33rd in 2016 and 47th in 2017, according to 247Sports. Those classes are about due to step on the field and show what they can do in what could be another down season for Blue Devils football.