Duke picked to finish 6th in ACC preseason poll
Duke is picked to finish sixth in the ACC’s preseason poll.
The league announced its media-generated poll results Wednesday afternoon. A panel of 183 media members voted in the poll last week.
Clemson is the preseason favorite to win the league, garnering 167 first-place votes. Miami received the second-most votes to win the league with seven.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 9-4 season and have won 26 games in the past three years. That has seen a combined record of 14-10 in ACC games; two 5-3 finishes and a 4-4 league record in between.
Expectations are high in Durham. Darian Mensah should be an upgrade at quarterback, able to extend plays with his legs and make off-platform throws. Four starters return on the offensive line; there is depth in skill positions; three starters return on the defensive line; and preseason All-American Chandler Rivers spearheads a talented secondary.
Duke was picked to finish 11th in last season’s poll — the first in which the ACC had 17 teams. By going 5-3 in Manny Diaz’s first season at the helm, the Blue Devils tied for fourth in the league standings.
Here is the full predicted order of finish in the ACC preseason poll:
1. Clemson (167)*
2. Miami (7)
3. SMU (2)
4. Georgia Tech (2)*
5. Louisville
6. Duke
7. Florida State (4)
8. UNC*
9. Pittsburgh
10. N.C. State*
11. Virginia Tech (1)
12. Syracuse*
13. Boston College
14. Virginia*
15. California*
16. Wake Forest*
17. Stanford
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
* indicates a team Duke plays this season.
