Is Duke Football an ACC Darkhorse contender in 2023?

How many games will Duke Football win this fall?

Sept 4 Clemson L: It might be a bit of a hot take, but this is a 50/50 game. Clemson has the better so far, but Duke gets the Tigers early, while Cade Klubnik is learning a new offense. Clemson gets the win, but it’s close.

Sept 9 Lafayette W: This is one where they get to lick their wounds a bit before they play another FBS team.

Sept 16 Northwestern W: Northwestern is a ship without a rudder. Blue Devils win big.

Sept 23 at UConn W: Duke had better be ready to play the Huskies. Jim Mora will have the Huskies ready.

Sept 30 Notre Dame L: Last time Notre Dame visited Duke, the Blue Devils set an attendance record for a home game. That could be a nice consolation prize since they won’t win the game.

Oct 14 NC State L: This game is going to be interesting. We know what the Wolfpack is defensively. How much better will they be with Brennan Armstrong reuniting with Robert Anae?

Oct 21 at Florida State L: If Florida State are meeting expectations, they should win this game going away.

Oct 28 at Louisville W: The Cardinals are a team in transition. Jeff Brohm is the new head coach, and Jack Plummer is the new quarterback. This is a 50-50 game, but I trust Riley Leonard to make a play in this game.

Nov 2 Wake Forest W: Winston-Salem has a lot of turnover, including losing the most prolific passer in ACC history. The Deacons like Mitchel Griffis, but that defense can give many points.

Nov 11 at North Carolina W: The Blue Devils have every opportunity to win this game. They lost by three points last year. It’s going to be a tough one, but the Blue Devils get their win back.

Nov 18 at Virginia W: Duke should roll over a Virginia team that was hit hard by the transfer portal.

Nov 25 Pitt W: Duke wins their season finale because Phil Jurkovec might not make it to the end of the season, and veteran backup Nick Patti has retired from football. Also, who’s the big-time pass rusher for Pitt this year?

Prediction: 8-4 (5-3 ACC)

There are factors to these eight wins. Duke could go 6-6. UNC and Louisville are 50-50 games. Riley Leonard has to take another step, and the defense needs to be as good as last year. That said, if Duke wants to be taken seriously as a football team, they need to beat the teams they are supposed to beat and find a way to win those 50-50 games.