Fresh off an ACC title but reeling from a star quarterback's departure, Duke head coach Manny Diaz must navigate these pivotal matchups to sustain momentum and secure bowl eligibility.
There's a lot to like about the program Manny Diaz is building with Duke.
Diaz agreed to a contract extension this offseason after leading the Blue Devils to an ACC championship in 2025, though that title came during a five-loss regular season. Fortunately for Duke, only two of those losses were in the ACC.
Duke appeared ready to contend for the ACC in 2026 until quarterback Darian Mensah bolted for Miami in the transfer portal. That loss will sting the Blue Devils, though the team should contend for a bowl game.
Here are three games Duke can't lose as they ascend college football.
Tulane at Duke (Sept. 5)
Under head coach Jon Sumrall, Tulane got the best of the ACC champion in Week 3 of the regular season. The Green Wave defeated Duke 34-27 before going on to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Sumrall is at Florida this spring, and Will Hall is in charge of Tulane. Tulane and Duke will open their seasons against each other, and Diaz must get his group to beat the Group of 6 program this year.
With a tough Illinois team coming up in Week 2, Duke needs to find a way to beat Tulane, or there's a possibility this team starts the season 0-2.
William & Mary at Duke (Sept. 26)
Duke will end the first month of the season with a gimme contest against an FCS school. The Blue Devils have not lost to an FCS opponent in program and history, and that trend needs to continue here.
Given a tough schedule in its first two games, Duke will play Stanford on Sept. 19 before hosting William & Mary. A loss here would be inconceivable; it would certainly crush any momentum the Blue Devils would have going into the heart of the ACC season and could ruin this team.
Boston College at Duke (Oct. 31)
Halloween games can be scary for college football teams. The Boston College Eagles this season? Not so frightening.
Head coach Bill O'Brien's Eagles went 2-10 last season, and they shouldn't be much better in 2026, at least on paper.
A loss here would be devastating for a Duke team trying to show it's a consistent threat in the ACC and would be bad for momentum before taking on Miami and Clemson in November.
