No Pressure: Duke Football Receives One Dismal Projected Ranking

Up is about the only direction Duke can go from here.

Duke football receiver Jalon Calhoun (Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)

This week, Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan released projections of where all 131 Division I FBS schools will finish the 2022 season. It's safe to say the list isn't too high on the Duke football squad.

No, the Blue Devils sit at No. 110. Not only is that dead last among ACC teams, but one would need to scroll 22 spots to find the next team from the conference: Georgia Tech (No. 88).

Furthermore, Duke's projected finish is also the lowest of any Power Five program.

Lassan bolstered the believability of the rather depressing outlook by summarizing the daunting challenges facing first-year Duke head coach Mike Elko and his staff:

"Former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko is a good fit as head coach for Duke as it looks to get back on track following a 10-25 finish to the Duke Cutcliffe era (2019-21). However, the Blue Devils have a steep climb ahead in '22. An offense that averaged 14.9 points in ACC play last season lost quarterback Gunnar Holmberg and leading receiver Jake Bobo to transfer, and running back Mataeo Durant (1,241 yards) departed for the NFL."

But as Lassan pointed out, a positive nugget or two yields guarded optimism in the eyes of the Blue Devil faithful, all depending on Elko's ability to instill a winning mentality and culture from the get-go:

"Four returning starters provide a solid foundation in the trenches. Duke has only one way to go on defense after this unit allowed 46.6 points a contest and 7.1 yards per play in ACC games last fall. Elko's arrival should help this group, but there are major holes in the secondary, and this unit needs to get better versus the run (218.4 rushing yards allowed in ACC play last year)."

Should Elko's first Duke bunch struggle early and then often, at least we know that unrealistic expectations from the national media won't be the culprit.

A friendly Duke football slate early

Fortunately for the Blue Devils, there is a reasonable chance they begin the Mike Elko era with a 4-0 mark.

Duke kicks off its 2022 campaign on Sept. 2 with a home game against Temple (No. 122 in the Athlon projections). Then the group travels to Northwestern (No. 82) on Sept. 10 before hosting North Carolina A&T (FCS) the following Saturday. One week later, the Blue Devils play at Kansas (No. 99).

Here's where Athlon projects the rest of Duke's opponents to finish (listed in the order of when they appear on the schedule):

• vs. Virginia (No. 63)
• at Georgia Tech (No. 88)
• vs. UNC (No. 47)
• at Miami (No. 20)
• at Boston College (No. 43)
• vs. Virginia Tech (No. 62)
• at Pitt (No. 23)
• vs. Wake Forest (No. 16)

For the sake of wrapping things up here on a bright note, remember that the Blue Devils do not have to face Notre Dame (No. 7), NC State (No. 12), or the top ACC team in Athlon's eyes this year, Clemson (No. 4).

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke football content.