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Rumors are starting to swirl that our fourth non-conference foe will be Troy. They are from the Sun Belt Conference and would replace FIU who is also from the Sun Belt. Troy beat FIU 38-37 in 2012. I'm going to assume we will do a 2-game home and away series the same we did with FIU and Memphis.

We are @Memphis on 9/7, host Navy on 10/12 and NCCU (TBD). The ACC typically releases the full schedule in mid-February so we have about six weeks or so to wait.

ACC games will be:

Home: N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Miami, Georgia Tech
Away: UNC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Clemson and FSU are gone, gone, gone...

There are no unwinnable games. Yes, there are tough games, but we should be able to achieve 4-4 in conference and go 7-5 or 8-4 in the regular season.

Is it time for Spring Practice yet? Who is planning to attend the Spring Game?

Bob Green wrote:Who is planning to attend the Spring Game?

What is the date?

Love that schedule! Wuffies at home too. The last time they came, Wallace Wade was bathed in red; I truly think those days of being outmassed by the other team's fans are over.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/01/2013 ... nce-games/

The five non-ACC teams that still need an opponent in 2013 are: BYU, Marshall, Missouri, Texas State and Tulane.

Bob Green wrote:http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/01/2013 ... nce-games/

The five non-ACC teams that still need an opponent in 2013 are: BYU, Marshall, Missouri, Texas State and Tulane.

We could trade "WE ARE" chants with the Marshall fans.

CameronBornAndBred wrote:

Bob Green wrote:http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/01/2013 ... nce-games/

The five non-ACC teams that still need an opponent in 2013 are: BYU, Marshall, Missouri, Texas State and Tulane.

We could trade "WE ARE" chants with the Marshall fans.

I'll take Marshall, Texas State or Tulane this year. In a couple years we can invite 'Bama back or Stanford .

Tulane is on the schedule for 2014 and 2015. The game in 2015 will be at Tulane.

Bob Green wrote:Rumors are starting to swirl that our fourth non-conference foe will be Troy. They are from the Sun Belt Conference and would replace FIU who is also from the Sun Belt.

Troy has been confirmed as our fourth non-conference foe. Troy will come to Durham in 2013 and we will head south to Alabama in 2014 for the second game.

We might have a chance in 2014. Who's traveling for the tailgate?

Per a Laura Keeley tweet, the full ACC Schedule will be released today at 3 pm.

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley
RT @McMurphyESPN ACC 2013 football schedule will be officially released today at 3 p.m. ET

Five of first six games at home:

http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml? ... EASON=2013

Aug 31: NCCU; Sep 7: @ Memphis; Sep 14: Georgia Tech; Sep 21: Pitt; Sep 28: Troy; Oct 12: Navy

Oct 19: @ Virginia; Oct 26: @ Virginia Tech; Nov 9: NC State; Nov 16: Miami; Nov 23: @Wake Forest; Nov 30: @ Carolina

I'm surprised Miami will be at WW 2 years in a row.

DukePA wrote:I'm surprised Miami will be at WW 2 years in a row.

It's a function of integrating Pitt and Syracuse into the ACC schedule. We play at Wake and at VT for the second year in a row. This is how I see it:

Probable wins: NCCU, Memphis, Troy & Navy

Probable losses: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami

Toss-ups: Pittsburgh, Virginia, NC State, Wake Forest and North Carolina

The key to six victories and bowl eligibility will be winning the games we are suppose to win and breaking even in the toss-up games. You can't split five games so 3-2 equals seven wins, while going 2-3 means we settle for six. Throw in an upset along the way and 8-4 is a possibility. Of course the upset could go the other way and we end up 5-7.

Navy is probably our toughest OOC opponent, but we have a bye week prior to the game, while they have to face Air Force. That spells advantage Duke.

Georgia Tech may also be a toss up game, they haven't been busting up the recruiting trail since Paul Johnson came to town. Plus, we play them early in the year when they've struggled and that gives us ample time in the off season to prepare. I also think playing tech first will help you play Navy strong.

Another thing to consider is that we'll have our best rushing attack yet. Keeping them off the field can really help to keep our defense fresh.

We've got a decent shot against all the teams on our schedule. It's not realistic to go undefeated, but getting by with a 9 win season isn't crazy either.

The Football Fan wrote:We've got a decent shot against all the teams on our schedule. It's not realistic to go undefeated, but getting by with a 9 win season isn't crazy either.

Looking at Sagarin's final 2012 rankings, Duke was ahead of six 2013 opponents and behind six. It will be interesting to see how this compares to the preseason rankings when they become available. Sagarin ranked Duke #73.

Below Duke: NCCU (#201), Memphis (#123), Wake Forest (#109), Troy (#103), Virginia (#87), Navy (#82).

Above Duke: NC State (#64), Pittsburgh (#59), Virginia Tech (#54), Miami (#49), Georgia Tech (#46), Carolina (#43).

We must win our non-conference games and on the road at Virginia and Wake Forest. Home games against NC State and Pittsburgh are winnable and standout as buffer games. If we drop a game we should win such as Navy or Virginia, home wins over State and Pittsburgh keep us on track for six and bowl eligibility.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

Interesting but almost irrelevant tidbit of information. Against the 12 teams on this year's schedule, Duke is 7-4 in the most recent game played (Duke & Troy have never played). Three of the seven victories have come on the road.

Wins: NCCU, Memphis, @Navy, Virginia, @NC State, @Wake Forest and North Carolina.

Losses: @ Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, @ Virginia Tech and Miami

This is another indicator the schedule is much more favorable this season than last year with multiple tough games in Stanford, Florida State and Clemson. Looking at "recency" is frowned upon by operations analyst and statisticians, but this is a sports board so what the hey...

Bob Green wrote:Interesting but almost irrelevant tidbit of information. Against the 12 teams on this year's schedule, Duke is 7-4 in the most recent game played (Duke & Troy have never played). Three of the seven victories have come on the road.

Wins: NCCU, Memphis, @Navy, Virginia, @NC State, @Wake Forest and North Carolina.

Losses: @ Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, @ Virginia Tech and Miami

This is another indicator the schedule is much more favorable this season than last year with multiple tough games in Stanford, Florida State and Clemson. Looking at "recency" is frowned upon by operations analyst and statisticians, but this is a sports board so what the hey...

Road games this year out of that group of wins will be @Wake, @UNC, @Virginia, @Memphis.
The ACC wins are always tough, but also doable. Last year we (finally) beat Wake at Wake, so at least that monkey is off our back this time.

Bob Green wrote:
"Probable wins: NCCU, Memphis, Troy & Navy

Probable losses: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami

Toss-ups: Pittsburgh, Virginia, NC State, Wake Forest and North Carolina"

I think I'm really excited that so many teams are on the toss up list.

I have no idea if these players are starters or even on the two deep, but Pitt has dismissed a TE and DB, and suspended a DT and freshman QB:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... liams-team

The schedule thread seems like the logical place to discuss events concerning 2013 opponents such as Pitt. And, oh by the way, the last football game I attended in Wallace Wade prior to joining the Navy and galavanting around Asia for 30 years was against Pitt (Tony Dorsett and Matt Cavanaugh). They went undefeated and won the National Championship that year. But it is 2013 and Tony Dorsett ain't walking through that door!