The Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason media poll, which surveyed 185 voters, projects the Duke Blue Devils to finish tenth in the 2026 ACC football race.
Miami, riding a historic surge, captured 165 first‑place votes, securing the conference’s top spot for the first time in program history.
Poll Highlights
Duke’s forecast follows a breakthrough 2025 season that saw the Blue Devils claim their first ACC title since 1989, defeating Virginia in overtime, and finish 9‑5 overall.
The poll also sets up a much‑anticipated November 14 showdown in Coral Gables, where Duke will test its revamped roster against the Hurricanes.
Other programs such as Clemson, SMU, Louisville, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Stanford each earned at least one first‑place vote, while N.C. State sits seventh and UNC fifteenth among Triangle schools.
The projection underscores a lingering narrative for Duke: the Blue Devils have not repeated as ACC champions in six decades, a drought that stretches back to the early 1960s, and they must lean on a core of ten returning players under coach Manny Diaz to challenge the new order.