Duke Lands in Top-20 Rankings From Bleacher Report

The Duke Blue Devils sit with a record of 4-0 in the college football season, seeing everything start to come together for them.

Starting the year undefeated like this has become almost the norm for the Blue Devils, with the program doing so in three of the last four years. Head coach Manny Diaz has his guys playing well, and this team is looking to repeat as ACC champions this season.

Duke is now coming off a bye week this weekend, giving the team some extra time to rest heading into their next game. The Blue Devils will be taking on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road, offering them a challenge.

In a new top-25 ranking from the college football experts at Bleacher Report, the Blue Devils came in placed within the top 20. Duke came in ranked at No. 16, showing strong faith in how this team has performed so far this season.

In Bleacher Report's ranking, Duke didn't move at all, with them being placed at No. 16 a week ago as well. Duke will be looking to move up the rankings following the bye week against a Georgia Tech team that is 1-3, also coming off a bye.

Both sides have had plenty of time to scout against one another, creating a potentially fun matchup in the ACC. But for the Blue Devils, this team can't overlook the Yellow Jackets, and they will need to take care of business to move to 5-0 on the year.

The Blue Devils are led by star running back Nate Sheppard, who leads the nation in rushing. Sheppard has rushed for 644 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the workhorse for this Duke offensive attack.

Having a player like Sheppard has allowed the Blue Devils to thrive in different areas, with opposing defenses having to account for him at all times. This gives the passing attack more of a boost as well, making Duke a well-rounded offense overall. 

The Blue Devils' schedule is slightly favorable for them for the rest of the season, except for a game against Miami later in the season. But if Duke is able to stay undefeated until the Hurricanes game, this could bode well for their chances to repeat as conference champions, or at least offer them a strong opportunity to play for the title.

It has been a strong season for Duke so far, but there is still a lot of football left to be played. Diaz and his guys understand this, and the first step will be to take down Georgia Tech next week coming off the time off.