Ranking Duke's Opponents From Easiest to Hardest

Durham, N.C. — Manny Diaz’s Duke Blue Devils enter 2026 hoping to prove that last winter’s ACC title was no one-off miracle, but the path back to the conference championship game is littered with land mines. After an offseason that saw quarterback Darian Mensah, wide-out Cooper Barkate and a handful of other starters bolt for the portal, Duke will have to navigate a schedule that ranges from comfortable to downright brutal. Here is a game-by-game look at the opposition, ordered from the most manageable to the most menacing.

1. William & Mary (Sep. 26, Wallace Wade Stadium) The FCS Tribe went 7-5 last fall and was thumped 55-16 at Virginia. Nothing on paper suggests they can match ACC speed, making this the safest bet for a Blue Devil victory.

2. Boston College The Eagles cratered to 2-10 in 2025, then watched 29 scholarship players exit. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan, tailback Turbo Richard and top touchdown-maker Reed Harris are gone, leaving new coach Bill O’Brien with a massive rebuild.

3. Stanford First-year head coach Tavita Pritchard inherits a 4-8 roster that added only nine transfers. Until the Cardinal prove they can block and tackle in the new-look ACC, they remain a mid-tier assignment.

4. Wake Forest Dave Clawson’s club finished 9-4 but must replace quarterback Robby Ashford, 1,200-yard rusher Demond Claiborne and lock-down corner Nick Andersen. Duke smoked the Deacs 49-32 in last year’s regular-season finale and should be favored again.

5. North Carolina Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels never found traction in 2025, limping home at 4-8. UNC lost significant depth to the portal, so the ceiling remains low even if the coaching staff is stacked.

6. Illinois The Fighting Illini were ranked No. 11 when they bulldozed Duke 45-19 in Durham last September, but star passer Luke Altmyer has moved on. A revenge opportunity exists for the Blue Devils in Champaign.

7. Georgia Tech Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets went 9-4 and whipped Duke 27-18. With Haynes King gone and Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza taking over, the Ramblin’ Wreck could slide slightly, yet still present a stiff defensive challenge.

8. Clemson Dabo Swinney’s Tigers were the nation’s biggest under-achievers at 7-6, but they kept most of their two-deep and remain the most talented roster Duke will face before November. The Blue Devils nipped them 46-45 in Death Valley last year; a repeat will be tougher now that Clemson is in desperation mode.

9. NC State Quarterback CJ Bailey returns for his third year as starter, giving the Wolfpack legitimate dark-horse buzz after an 8-5 finish. The ground game needs retooling, yet the defense could be among the league’s best.

10. Tulane Jon Sumrall left for Kentucky, but the Green Wave still own a 34-27 win over Duke and a 2025 College Football Playoff berth. A portal-fueled roster keeps them in the Group-of-Five penthouse.

11. Virginia The Cavaliers pushed Duke to overtime in the ACC title game before falling 27-20. New quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein should keep the offense humming, and the defense that bottled up Mensah for three quarters returns eight starters.

12. at Miami (Nov. 28) Circle the date. Mensah and Barkate will face their old teammates in Hard Rock Stadium, and the Hurricanes—fresh off a national-title-game appearance—look like the ACC’s clear-cut juggernaut. Mario Cristobal signed the conference’s top recruiting class and restocked through the portal, making this the steepest climb on Duke’s slate.

If the Blue Devils can split the top four and win the ones they should, another Coastal (or whatever the division-less alignment is called) berth is in play. Anything more, and Diaz will have authored one of the sport’s best turnaround stories.