Duke’s first month under Manny Diaz has put the Blue Devils exactly where they want to be: in the thick of the ACC race, unbeaten, and carrying real momentum into the bye week.
At 4-0, Duke is one of four conference teams to open the season without a loss, joining Miami, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech. With Wake Forest’s win over Louisville this weekend, the league picture has opened up even more behind the Hurricanes, and Duke has positioned itself to stay in the hunt.
That’s a sharp turnaround from the offseason chatter, when plenty expected the Blue Devils to slide back. Instead, Diaz and his staff have kept the roster pointed upward, and Duke’s start is another reminder that his program has a habit of beating the outside noise.
The latest proof came Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium, where Duke rolled past FCS William & Mary, 62-7. That followed a 35-7 ACC win over Stanford last weekend, giving the Blue Devils a clean 1-0 start in league play before the bye arrives.
The schedule after the break gives Duke a chance to keep building. The Blue Devils travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Oct. 10, then return home to meet North Carolina in Durham on Oct.
- Both games look very manageable on paper, and the expectation is that Duke could be sitting at 6-0 before a road trip to Virginia on Oct.
What stands out most is how steadily this team has improved through its first four games. The last two opponents have been far from elite, but Duke has handled business anyway, and that has not always been a given for Diaz teams in the past.
After the win over William & Mary, Diaz was asked how his team can carry that momentum into the off week.
"Well, we have to stay humble," Diaz said. "Right, I mean, we, I mean there's two things you can have at once.
You can be proud of your achievements, but understand the humility that we have a lot of improvement to do, which I think we do. And, you know, this team is still, everything you've seen in the month of September is based off the edge that we went through the entire offseason."
That message fits the way Duke has operated under Diaz. The Blue Devils have been doubted year after year, and they keep finding ways to push past those expectations.
It’s still early, but the setup is hard to beat. Duke heads into the bye in a strong spot, with ACC play ahead and a real chance to keep turning September success into something bigger.
In Other News...
Former Duke Star Suddenly Faces Troubling Start To Year Two
Kon Knueppels second year with the Charlotte Hornets has gotten off to an unwelcome start, with the former Duke standout set to miss the teams preseason after suffering a hamstring injury. Charlotte is also without Grant Williams for the exhibition slate because of a separate hamstring issue, a reminder that even before the games count, the Hornets are already trying to manage their depth and keep key pieces on track.
Knueppel arrived in the league as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and followed that up with a strong rookie season, which is why this early setback draws attention beyond Charlotte. The bigger concern now is simply getting him back to full speed without any lingering issues, and the Hornets are planning a re-evaluation during the first week of the regular season as they wait for a clearer picture. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Fans Have Every Right To Question This Top 25 Snub
Duke has given voters plenty to consider lately, and not much of it should have led to being left out of the Top 25 entirely. The Blue Devils have won eight straight and backed that run by capturing the ACC championship, yet the rankings continue to treat them like a team on the outside looking in. For a program that has stacked wins and handled its business down the stretch, that omission is hard to ignore.
The frustration only grows when teams with shakier recent rsums keep finding a spot in the poll, which has only fueled the broader debate about how much conference reputation matters. Missouri is still sitting at No. 25 even after a loss to Mississippi State, and that kind of contrast is exactly why Duke supporters are wondering what more their team was supposed to do. Add in the roster turnover and transfer movement that have shaped how this season has been viewed, and the snub starts to look less like an oversight and more like a trend. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Biggest Early Problem May Finally Be Improving
Dukes 62-7 romp over William & Mary did more than keep the Blue Devils unbeaten at 4-0 for the second time under Manny Diaz. It also offered a cleaner look at one of the earliest trouble spots of the season, with the team showing some real progress in an area that had been dragging down its first three weeks.
Diaz pointed to the improvement in his postgame press conference, even while making clear the issue is hardly solved. Penalties still loom as a concern once conference play arrives, and the costly ones in particular remain the kind of mistake that can change a game fast if Duke doesnt keep tightening things up. [Read more 🡒]