The Blue Devils went toe-to-toe with a top-15 opponent, but that wasn't enough to earn them a spot in the final AP Poll of the season.
Duke received the fifth-most votes, 18, amongst unranked teams when the final AP Poll was released early Tuesday morning following Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game. The Blue Devils finished the season 9-4 after falling 36-31 to then-No. 15 Arizona State in the Sun Bowl Dec. 27.
After the game, head coach David Cutcliffe was adamant that Duke was a top-25 team all season and had not gotten the respect it deserved after putting together back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time in school history. But the Blue Devils were not given credit for pushing the Sun Devils to the limit and now cannot say they finished in the top 25 in back-to-back years.
Arizona State moved up to No. 12 after finishing the season 10-3 by knocking off Duke.
Ohio State received all 59 first-place votes after winning the inaugural College Football Playoff Monday night. Oregon, Texas Christian, Alabama rounded out the top four and Florida State and Michigan State finished tied for fifth.
The ACC got strong performances from Clemson and Georgia Tech in bowl games and was able to finish with three top-15 teams, as the Tigers moved up to No. 15 after trouncing Oklahoma and the Yellow Jackets finished No. 8 after late-season wins against Georgia and Mississippi State. Louisville was the only other ACC team ranked, coming in at No. 24.
Although the Blue Devils finished outside the top 25, they appear to have changed their perception in the conference and are being projected to finish fourth in the ACC next year, according to ESPN's way-too-early power rankings.
Keep up with the Blue Zone for all your Duke football and recruiting news as the Blue Devils get set to open spring practice in less than a month.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.