Duke improbably clinches spot in ACC Championship Game despite 7-5 record
By David Wasson
Published:
The Duke Blue Devils needed an improbable sequence of events to fall their way Saturday to earn a spot in next Saturday’s ACC Championship Game.
Mission accomplished.
Duke downed Wake Forest 49-32 earlier Saturday, then watched as Pitt lost to Miami 38-7 and SMU then lost at Cal 38-35 Saturday night. And just like that, the 5-loss Blue Devils punched their ticket to play Virginia in the conference championship game in Charlotte (8 pm ET, ABC).
Virginia, SMU, Pitt, Georgia Tech and Duke all entered Week 14 with a chance to earn a spot in the ACC title game. Pitt, Miami and Georgia Tech were all eliminated in a combination of results earlier Saturday, leaving Duke to watch SMU-Cal in Berkeley.
Duke finished 6-2 in ACC play in 2025, but didn’t defeat a team with a winning conference record.
Duke quarterback Darian Mensah’s 3rd-quarter touchdown pass to Sahmir Hagans against Wake Forest gave him 27 for the season, breaking the school’s single-season record. Mensah added a 28th TD pass later in the game.
Duke and Virginia did play earlier this season. The Cavaliers won 34-17 in Durham as the Blue Devils struggled mightily on offense. They averaged just 4.4 yards per play and only managed 17 points despite 2 Chandler Morris interceptions.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
