No one can argue that nine wins in two seasons are enough to qualify Duke coach David Cutcliffe as a candidate for any sort of athletic Mensa society.
But in a program that had 10 wins from 2000-2007, the steady march toward the break-even level as Cutcliffe enters his third season is an extraordinary accomplishment, just as withdrawing from consideration for the Tennessee job after 2009 should put the coach on a short list for Ripley's next "Believe It or Not" chapter.
But Cutcliffe is the first to acknowledge that the water bucket is only half full from one perspective.
That perspective is late season - a two-year stretch in which the Blue Devils have gone winless in November.
Last season's 0-4 November included three games in which the offense scored a combined 32 points.
In 2008, Cutcliffe's first Duke team lost its last five games, including a three-game stretch against N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Miami when the offense could put up only 27 combined points.
"We've still a lot of improving to do," senior center Bryan Morgan said during preseason camp. "The good thing is the more you accomplish, the more you realize you can add to your accomplishments."
With a November lineup this season that includes three home games - Virginia, Boston College and North Carolina - the opportunity will be there for Cutcliffe's team to clear another barrier.
But the third season can be a tricky step for coaches building programs. It's often a rocky transition snarled by younger players attempting to shoulder bigger workloads.
In Duke's case, the adjustment to a new quarterback and the ongoing challenge of developing enough defensive depth to survive a 12-game schedule will be enough to make Cutcliffe's continued progress problematic.
But barring an ugly relapse to the double-digit loss totals of pre-Cut days, Duke's football future is infinitely brighter than anyone could have ever imagined four years ago.
