Duke’s early surge in 2026 has turned the Blue Devils into one of college football’s most unexpected stories, and the momentum is starting to feel real. Manny Diaz’s team is 4-0, sitting just outside the AP Top 25 with 101 votes, one behind Wisconsin’s 102, and the rest of the ACC is suddenly looking wide open.
That’s a big reason the Blue Devils are drawing bold expectations for the stretch run. Outside of Miami at the top, the league has already shown some vulnerability, and Wake Forest’s win over Louisville only added to the sense that the conference race is up for grabs. Duke, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh are the only ACC teams to begin the season 4-0, which puts the Blue Devils squarely in the mix for the second spot in the ACC Championship Game.
The schedule also sets up well for Duke to keep stacking wins. The Blue Devils are on a bye this week, and they should enter their road game at Virginia on Oct. 23 at 6-0.
Before that, they have road trips to Georgia Tech on Oct. 10 and North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium on Oct. 17, and Diaz and Co. should win both. Beyond the road date with Miami, Duke has a legitimate chance to win every game left on the slate.
At the center of it all is Nate Sheppard, who has been performing like the best running back in the country. The Louisiana native leads the nation in rushing with 644 yards, 44 more than Florida’s Jadan Baugh, and he’s doing it while averaging over seven yards per carry and ranking second nationally with 91 total attempts. Even in a limited workload last weekend against William & Mary, Sheppard needed only nine carries to pile up 116 rushing yards and a touchdown.
That kind of production is why every defense on Duke’s schedule is going to build its plan around stopping him. So far, no one has managed to do it.
If Sheppard keeps this pace and Duke keeps winning, the conversation around him is only going to grow. And if the Blue Devils keep rolling, somewhere between eight and 10 wins would not be a surprise.
For Diaz, the start of this season may be his most impressive work yet in Durham. Duke had to replace several stars from last year’s ACC title team, including Darian Mensah, and expectations weren’t exactly sky-high after that offseason turnover. Still, the Blue Devils are 4-0, back in the hunt for another ACC crown, and riding an eight-game winning streak going back to last season.
At this point, a spot in the AP Top 25 feels like a matter of when, not if. And if Duke keeps this up and makes a serious push at the ACC title after everything it handled in the offseason, Diaz will have a strong case for AP Coach of the Year.
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Dukes Title Hype Now Rests On One Huge Early Test
CBS Sports latest early Top 25 and 1 keeps Duke right near the top of the preseason conversation, and that feels fitting for a roster built to win big from the start. The Blue Devils bring back four of their top six scorers from last seasons Elite Eight run, then layered in a strong recruiting class headlined by several five-star prospects and a transfer from Wisconsin. It is the kind of mix that fuels real optimism in Durham, especially when a team has already shown it can survive deep into March.
Still, the appeal of this group may be decided long before ACC play settles in. Dukes non-conference slate is loaded with heavyweight matchups that will quickly show whether the talent translates into immediate cohesion, and the calendar does the Blue Devils no favors. If this team is going to justify the buzz around it, the early stretch is going to have to look a lot less like a measuring stick and a lot more like a launchpad. [Read more 🡒]
Former Duke Stars New Start In LA Just Hit A Worrying Snag
Brandon Ingrams new chapter in Los Angeles has already run into trouble before it really gets underway. After stops in Toronto and with the Lakers earlier in his career, the former Duke standout was traded to the Clippers this offseason, but he is now dealing with a partially torn Achilles tendon and recent heel surgery that cloud the beginning of his time with his new team.
Kon Knueppels situation adds another layer of concern for Duke fans keeping tabs on the NBA. The young Blue Devils product is expected to miss the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, and his availability for the regular-season opener is also in doubt, leaving two familiar names on the sidelines as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Is Already Forcing A CFP Debate Nobody Saw Coming
Dukes undefeated start has already turned into something bigger than a feel-good opening run, because the Blue Devils are doing it in a way that forces people to rethink how far a strong September can carry in the College Football Playoff race. The rushing attack has been the engine, the schedule still has plenty of ACC games ahead, and for now the conversation is less about whether Duke belongs in the picture and more about how long it can keep forcing its way into it.
Heather Dinichs latest bubble watch only sharpened that tension, with Duke still on the outside of the projected field while Miami stands as the leagues lone expected entrant. Nate Sheppard has given the Blue Devils a legitimate weekly hammer on offense, but the real test is coming as the ACC slate tightens and the team tries to turn a hot start into something the playoff committee can no longer ignore. [Read more 🡒]