Greg McElroy tabs Duke as prime candidate to play spoiler in ACC

ESPN’s Greg McElroy is high on Duke to play spoiler this season as the Blue Devils go into Year 2 under Manny Diaz. Following a 9-4 campaign, more could be in store for Duke!

Darian Mensah was the prized transfer this offseason and he’ll step in at quarterback. Coupled with other key positions that feature veteran returners, Duke might be a sneaky pick within the ACC.

“There’s a lot of buzz after what was a great first season for Manny Diaz,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “9-3 in the regular season, lots to look forward to with this upcoming year and some momentum that was created with a big splash on the recruiting trail. They went out and they got Darian Mensah from Tulane. He had a great year last year. Did a lot of really positive things for Tulane.

“And now they land a big fish early in the portal cycle, when a lot of people are going after Mensah, Duke was able to land (him). That was big. They also should be really good on the defensive side, that’s Manny Diaz’s bread and butter. They bring back pivotal playmakers on the outside, … a bunch of pieces back, you should feel pretty confident about.”

McElroy went on about other returning pieces to the Duke program. If they’re able to run it back, perhaps they could play spoiler as he suggests.

“They also bring back a talented group of running backs, so you’re going to take some of the pressure off of Darian Mensah if, for whatever reason, there’s a little bit of a learning curve as he gets comfortable in a new offense,” McElroy said. “They have a solid core along the offensive line and at running back to rely on.” 

As far as the schedule is concerned, Duke has a lax ACC schedule compared to most. Perhaps they can take advantage and make a splash in non-conference. 

‘If you look at their schedule, there’s one game in particular that really stands out to me, and that’s a game against Illinois,” McElroy said. “They’ll host Illinois early in the season, and that could be massive for not just Duke, but for the entire ACC and potentially the perception of the Big Ten as well. So circle that one. 

“Regardless of who you’re rooting for, that game might impact your team … They also go to Clemson, they’re at Tulane, a tough non conference game, you get NC State, at North Carolina, and at Syracuse. 

“So if you look at Duke, the schedule is not impossible. But there are some challenging games on there as well, (hosting) Georgia Tech and a few other games … But I would not be surprised that Manny Diaz continues to build on what he accomplished in year number one.”