Duke's football team is headed back to the ACC Championship! Despite securing a big win against Wake Forest, Duke's championship game chances still hung in the balance. They required a specific set of results to be able to make it to the big dance. Making it to the final game would help boost their odds of making it to the new 12-team college football playoff format.
Well, the Blue Devils got exactly that. The California Golden Bears eked out a 38-35 win over the SMU Mustangs that went down to the wire. It was a good game to watch, and it also gave Duke the final push to make it to the ACC Championship game. Duke, usually heralded as a basketball university, will now be playing against Virginia for the ACC crown.
“7-5 DUKE TO THE ACC TITLE GAME!” Nicole Auberbach posted.
Auberbach also points out that in a surprising turn of events, two teams from the Group of 5 conferences could make the College Football playoff. That all depends on Duke winning over Virginia in the ACC Championship.
“If Duke beats Virginia next weekend, there is a very real possibility of two Group of 5 champions making the CFP,” Auberbach posted.
Duke has completed an improbable run to the ACC Championship game, thanks in large part to the Mustangs collapsing against the Golden Bears. SMU had an easy route to the ACC game, and Cal seemed like a game that SMU should win handily. However, a spirited game from Cal allowed them to hold on to their lead late in the game, despite SMU's best efforts.
Now, Duke will face off against Virginia for the right to potentially represent the ACC in the College Football Playoff. The last meeting between the two teams was a 34-17 drubbing by Virginia this season.
