After losing star playmakers to the portal, Manny Diaz eyes bowl eligibility with a new quarterback to stabilize the Duke Blue Devils following their improbable conference title run.
The Duke Blue Devils are a wild card coming into 2026.
The Blue Devils made a surprise run to win the ACC championship with an 8-5 record thanks to some nifty conference tie-breaking rules.
The downside of Duke's success meant that quarterback Darian Mensah was wanted by other college teams, and he transferred to Miami along with wide receiver Cooper Barkate.
If Mensah had returned, Duke could have been in position to make another surprise bid for the College Football Playoff. Now, head coach Manny Diaz is turning to San Jose State transfer Walker Eget to win games this fall.
Brady Crawford of CBS Sports is predicting Duke to finish 6-6 this season. He thinks the Blue Devils will beat Tulane, Stanford, William & Mary, NC State, Boston College, and Wake Forest but lose to Illinois, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia, Miami, and Clemson.
While a 6-6 record would be worse than 2025, Crawford argues a stable finish could be good for the program in the long term.
"Duke's remarkable run to the ACC Championship raised expectations, but sustaining that level of success was always going to be difficult," Crawford wrote. "Losing two of the program's top players to Miami through the transfer portal only makes Manny Diaz's task even tougher. Replacing proven production is one challenge; replacing leadership and game-changing talent is another.
"The Blue Devils remain well-coached and competitive, but there are more losses than expected this season, especially with a challenging non-conference schedule. A step back doesn't mean Duke is falling apart -- it reflects the reality of roster turnover in today's college football landscape. Reaching bowl eligibility would still represent a solid season, even if another ACC title game appearance proves out of reach."
This Duke team isn't going to repeat as an ACC champion. A bowl game would feel like a success for this team given the turbulence the roster underwent in the offseason.
Diaz has proven to be a great hire for Duke. If the team can show some resilience this fall, the Blue Devils should gain some confidence for 2027. With a boost at quarterback in the next offseason, the ACC should be back on the table.
