2024 will mark the third straight year in which Duke is eligible for postseason play, as the Blue Devils sit at 7-3 coming off their bye week and will look to finish out another strong season. While Duke is unlikely to reach the College Football Playoff, there are still a slew of other bowl games that head coach Manny Diaz could lead his team into after regular-season play.
Let’s check out some possible bowl destinations and foes for Duke this year:
Bowls
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: This bowl, formerly known as the Belk Bowl, has become a staple in North Carolina over the past two decades. The Blue Devils have experience playing at Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, as they took on Cincinnati and Travis Kelce in 2012. This year, the game will take place Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m., featuring a team from the ACC and one team from the remainder of the Power 4 conferences.
Sun Bowl: This El Paso, Texas, showdown is one of college football’s most storied bowl games, as it has been hosted since 1935. Since 2011, this game has featured a team from the ACC and the Pac-12. Former members California and Stanford are still considered as Pac-12 teams during this cycle, but this is subject to change past 2025 with the rearrangement of the Pac-12. This year’s contest will take place Dec. 31 at 2 p.m.
Gator Bowl: This bowl sponsored by TaxSlayer is the sixth-oldest bowl game in the nation, having been held annually since 1946. If Duke is selected for the game, it will face an opponent from one of the remainder of the Power 4 conferences. The Gator Bowl was also the first bowl to be nationally televised, and this year’s showing will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2.
Opponents
California: In a funny twist, Duke could end up playing a conference foe in postseason play. According to CBS Sports, the Blue Devils are currently projected to take on the Golden Bears in the Sun Bowl, giving Duke a pseudo-seventh conference contest. California is currently 5-5, needing a win over rival Stanford or SMU to clinch bowl eligibility.
Missouri: 247Sports has the Blue Devils set to take on the Tigers down at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., which could add a high-profile 13th opponent to Duke’s schedule. Missouri is 7-3 after its first 10 games, and is recently coming off a heartbreaking loss to South Carolina. Notably, the Tigers also feature East St. Louis product Luther Burden III, one of the best receivers in the nation.
Michigan: Duke going up against the defending national champions? ESPN currently projects the Wolverines to take on the Blue Devils in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. After head coach Jim Harbaugh departed for the NFL, fortunes have been a little bit worse for the traditional powerhouse, who has stumbled to a 5-5 mark this year.
Duke still has two games remaining, and it will receive its bowl game destination and opponent shortly after conference championship weekend concludes.
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