College football analyst Phil Steele published his toughest schedules of 2013 last weekend, confirming that after a treacherous schedule in 2012, Duke will face significantly easier competition in 2013, when it hopes to reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history.
Steele ranked the Blue Devils slate the 77th hardest in the FBS for the 2013 season, which ranks last among the ACC's 14 football members. In 2012, Duke had the 35th-toughest schedule in the FBS according to Steele, which ranked third in the ACC.
The Blue Devils will play home games against N.C. Central, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Troy, Navy, N.C. State and Miami this season, traveling to face Memphis, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina on the road. Duke's 12 opponents had a combined record of 74-78 last season. Seven of the Blue Devils' 12 opponents had enough wins to be bowl eligible in 2012.
Duke's conference schedule features games against the six other teams in the ACC's Coastal Division, its permanent crossover game with Wake Forest and a rotating crossover game with N.C. State. Last season, when the ACC's schedules featured three crossover opponents, the Blue Devils drew a brutal slate by having to play the conference's top two teams—Florida State and Clemson—in back-to-back weeks. The Seminoles and Tigers are not on Duke's schedule this season, which should give the Blue Devils a much easier time come conference play. The Blue Devils also had a non-conference showdown with national powerhouse Stanford. This year, Navy is Duke's only non-conference opponent that was bowl eligible last season.
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