Can Duke football make College Football Playoff? Here's what needs to happen
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Duke football‘s path to the College Football Playoff starts with a win over No. 17 Virginia in the ACC championship game on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte.
Still, a win over the Cavaliers may not be enough to get the Blue Devils (7-5, 6-2 ACC) a spot in the 12-team CFP as only the five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids.
“The 12 participating teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked schools,” the CFP site reads.
How Duke football can make the College Football Playoff
Either No. 1 Ohio State or No. 2 Indiana will get the Big 10’s bid, while either No. 3 Georgia or No. 9 Alabama will represent the SEC. No. 5 Texas Tech will play for the Big 12 against No. 11 Brigham Young. All three conference winners likely will finish in the top four of the final rankings. That leaves two remaining automatic-bid spots available for the ACC champion or the top Group of Five champions.
Tulane and North Texas, who came in at No. 20 and 24 respectively in the latest CFP rankings released on Dec. 2, play for the American Conference championship, with the winner likely earning the fourth automatic bid to the CFP. The other conference champion that could keep Duke out of the CFP is the Sun Belt Champion, either No. 25 James Madison or Troy. If James Madison comes out on top, it will likely be ranked higher than Duke and earn the fifth and final auto bid.
To make their way to the playoff, the Blue Devils, who were not included in the latest rankings, need to first secure a victory over Virginia and need JMU to lose to Troy. Even then, a five-loss ACC champion may not make the field, depending on the committee’s rankings.
Diaz previously said as part of the ACC coaches teleconference on Sunday, Nov. 30, that he feels Duke “absolutely” deserves a spot in the CFP if it defeats Virginia. Diaz added on Wednesday, Dec. 3, that he feels “confident” the winner of the ACC will earn a spot in the playoff.
Duke vs. Virginia are set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Can Duke football make College Football Playoff? Here’s how
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