Returning most of its key contributors from last season after reaching its fourth bowl game in five seasons, Duke enters the 2018 season with expectation of continued success.
The Blue Devils were picked to finish fourth in the Coastal Division in the media's preseason poll, which was released by the ACC Monday afternoon. Miami was again predicted to win the division and Clemson is the favorite to take home both the Atlantic Division and conference titles for the second year in a row, receiving 139 of 148 championship votes.
Duke received one first-place vote in the division.
Last season's correct prediction of the Hurricanes was an anomaly in the recently unpredictable Coastal Division. Miami became the first program selected in the top four in the preseason poll to win the division in five years. The Blue Devils started that streak in 2013 after winning the division title despite a last-place prediction.
Boston College running back A.J. Dillon was narrowly picked as the ACC Player of the Year, earning just 45 of the 148 votes. Duke redshirt junior Joe Giles-Harris finished sixth in player of the year voting with two votes.
Giles-Harris and Duke cornerback Mark Gilbert were also selected to the 2018 All-ACC preseason team, representing just two of the three defensemen selected that are not Tigers or Hurricanes.
Full preseason conference standings and player of the year voting results can be found below:
Atlantic Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
- Clemson: 1,031 (145)
- Florida State: 798 (1)
- N.C. State: 712 (2)
- Boston College: 545
- Louisville: 422
- Wake Forest: 413
- Syracuse: 232
Coastal Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
- Miami: 998 (122)
- Virginia Tech: 838 (16)
- Georgia Tech: 654 (8)
- Duke: 607 (1)
- Pittsburgh: 420
- North Carolina: 370 (1)
- Virginia: 257
Preseason Player of the Year
- A.J. Dillon, running back, Boston College: 45 votes
- Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle, Clemson: 42
- Ryan Finley, quarterback, N.C. State: 37
- Cam Akers, running back, Florida State: 13
- Greg Dortch, wide receiver, Wake Forest: 3
- Joe Giles-Harris, linebacker, Duke: 2
- TaQuon Marshall, quarterback, Georgia Tech: 2
- Zach Allen, defensive end, Boston College: 1
- Eric Dungey, quarterback, Syracuse: 1
- Olamide Zaccheaus, all-purpose back, Virginia: 1
- Jaylen Smith, wide receiver, Louisville: 1
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