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Duke

Blue Devils · ACC

Head coach Manny Diaz Year 3 with Duke

Year-3 HCs (2015-2024) averaged -0.10 W vs. preseason expectation

Season Projection · 2026 W0

10,000 sims
6.3
Expected wins
6-6
Proj record
3 to 10
Win range (90%)
#50 (26–76)
Final rank (90%)
1%
Make playoff
1%
Win conference

Path to Glory

Tap a win or a loss on each pivotal game to see how the playoff probability shifts. Leave any game unset to average across both outcomes.

Make the playoff

1%

Baseline projection.

  • at Virginia
    Away · Oct 23
  • at Illinois
    Away · Sep 12
  • at Georgia Tech
    Away · Oct 10
  • at Wake Forest
    Away · Nov 28
  • at NC State
    Away · Nov 7

Pivotal games are the 5 with the largest playoff-probability swing, ranked by the model. Math: chained Bayesian log-odds update from the conditional simulation set; gets the directionally right answer but won't perfectly capture cross-game correlations until the full Monte Carlo pipeline lands.

Returning production · 2026

36 score
  • Quarterback 0% (2/5 )
  • Offensive line 74% (14/19 players)
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 32% (12/23 )
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 46% (20/30 )
  • Secondary 44% (8/18 )
  • Special teams 70% (5/8 )

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

+0.4 rating

20 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

  • Javen Nicholas WR ← Charlotte 142 impact
  • Walker Eget QB ← San José State 131 impact
  • Jared Richardson WR ← Pennsylvania 94 impact
  • Patrick Smith-Young S ← North Texas 87 impact
  • Nate Kurisky TE ← Louisville 62 impact
  • Dylan Flowers CB ← Western Kentucky 62 impact

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 37.0% 50th — average
  • Red-zone TD rate 16.0% 65th — average
  • 4th-down aggression 52.8% 95th — elite
  • Late & close 5.6 yds/play 65th — average

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Latest Stories

  • Recap

    Duke: 2025 Week 16 recap

    Duke sits at 44th overall after a 27-20 road win at Virginia in Week 15, improving to 9-5 on the season. The victory keeps the Blue Devils in solid position with a 6.6 rating per GIE, though the ACC's compressed late-season schedule means…

More coming

Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.