However, this time, it’s against a much tougher opponent than who they battled last week in Elon.

The 12th-ranked Illinois Fightin’ Illini come into Durham after a molly-whopping to FCS Western Illinois on Week 1, where they came on top 52-3.

Illinois does step onto Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium with a significant amount of high-major non-conference baggage though. 

Back in 2023, Illinois lost to Kansas in Lawrence by 11 points, and two years before that, it fell to Virginia in Charlottesville by 28.

Now, with Duke, the Blue Devils have won 17 out of their previous 20 games at Wallace Wade, creating an opportunity for either things to go from bad to worse for Illinois, or an opportunity to defeat its past demons.

Duke, on the other hand, started its season with a bit of a reality check.

It poached quarterback Darian Mensah from Tulane with a hefty NIL deal, but as the game proceeded with Elon, there was an “uptightness” that coach Manny Diaz described. 

At the half, it was a tie game, 10-10, and the $8 million man, Mensah, didn’t look like the guy Duke paid for.

Luckily in the second half, Duke got back on the wagon and essentially stuffed Elon in a locker, outscoring the Phoenix 35-7. Mensah, who didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the first half, woke up and threw for three in the second, as well as completing all 11 of his passes.

Perhaps it was early jitters that Mensah had to get out of the way. Because the talent is there, but in his final three games at Tulane, fell victim to three consecutive losses.

So during the start of the Elon game, perhaps there was a worry of “here we go again.”

But Diaz got to his team and advised them to start anew in the second half.

“Whatever happened in the first half, let it go. I felt once we got going, we took over the game.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema sees the vision as well, and has expressed his appreciation for Mensah’s game.

"I started watching his film from Tulane, right?" Bielema said. "Extremely gifted. Athletic. Smooth. Reads things extremely well. Has the ability to escape. I wouldn't classify him as a runner, but he has the ability to escape and make things happen with his feet."

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer is a redshirt senior who is coming off his best season to date, throwing for over 2,700 yards, 22 touchdowns and only limiting to six interceptions. However, he’ll be going from an FCS opponent, to a power-conference program.

One domino is going to have to fall, but will it be Duke who’s traditionally dominant at home? Or will a top-15 team suffer at the hands of an unranked program?