
The Duke Blue Devils were well-positioned to win the ACC heading into last weekend, but the loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets put a dent in those chances.
The result pushed the Blue Devils down to third place in the conference and tied with Pittsburgh. It's not the end of the world, but certainly not ideal for a team with high expectations this season.
With that in mind, what are Duke's chances of recouping and finding a way to win the ACC with six weeks left in the regular season?
The odds have fluctuated every week, but Fox Sports has the updated odds for teams to win the ACC Championship.
According to Fox Sports, Duke has the sixth-highest odds at 1500 to win the conference championship, which it must qualify for by finishing as one of the top two teams at the conclusion of the regular season.
Currently, Georgia Tech is favored to win the ACC Championship at +220. The Miami Hurricanes (+270), Virginia Cavaliers (+450), Louisville Cardinals (+550), and SMU Mustangs (+750) all subsequently fall in line behind the Yellow Jackets.
Translation: The sportsbooks do not believe that the Blue Devils will recover from their loss to Georgia Tech. However, there are still plenty of games remaining for Duke to make up ground.
There are several factors that will play a role in configuring the standings from now until the end of the season.
Those include schedules, injuries, and performances among the top contending teams in this conference.
With all due respect, the teams Duke has to worry about are Georgia Tech - who are currently 4-0 in the ACC - Miami - who has only played in two conference games this season - Virginia - 3-0 in conference play and has one of the easiest schedules remaining - SMU - who are also 3-0 in ACC play, are coming off a comfortable win over Clemson this past weekend, and Louisville - coming off a 24-21 victory against Miami on the road, forcing four interceptions by quarterback Carson Beck.
Meanwhile, Duke cannot afford to lose another game this season, especially with Virginia still on the schedule next month.
The Blue Devils obviously need assistance from some of the bottom-feeders in the ACC, but ultimately, if Duke string off multiple wins in a row, it will not matter how the rest of the conference transpires.
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