Duke’s 2021 football schedule is out. Here’s who the Blue Devils play.
Coming off the worst season of David Cutcliffe’s tenure at the school, Duke looks to turn things around by opening its football schedule this fall with four nonconference games.
The Blue Devils went 2-9 overall and 1-9 in the ACC in the pandemic-altered 2020 season, the lowest win total they’ve had since Cutcliffe became their coach in 2008.
The ACC announced Duke’s full schedule for the 2021 season on Thursday morning as the league’s team’s go back to the usual alignment of four nonconference games with eight ACC games.
Duke opens Sept. 4 at Charlotte before playing home games with N.C. A&T (Sept. 11), Northwestern (Sept. 18) and Kansas (Sept. 25). The ACC opener is at rival North Carolina on Oct. 2.
The Blue Devils are back to playing their usual six Coastal Division games plus annual cross-division foe Wake Forest on Oct. 30 at Winston-Salem. Duke’s eighth league game is against another Atlantic Division team, which this season is Louisville at Wallace Wade Stadium on Nov. 18, a Thursday night.
Here’s a look at Duke’s full schedule, with a breakdown of key games:
Load up on the pizza and wings for this one
Duke at UNC, Oct. 2: Duke opens its ACC schedule against rival UNC at Kenan Stadium, looking to halt a two-game losing streak in the annual series. The Blue Devils had won five of the previous seven games over the Tar Heels but the rivalry flipped back in favor of UNC in a big way last season. UNC dominated Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium, posting a 56-24 win.
This game is pivotal
Duke at Charlotte, Sept. 4: As the Blue Devils look to turn the page on their awful 2020 season, they open the new season on the road against an up-and-coming 49ers program itching for an upset. The good news for Duke is one of its two wins last season came against Charlotte. Duke won 53-19 at Wallace Wade Stadium last Oct. 31. The Blue Devils need to be similarly strong in this year’s game against Charlotte.
Buckle up, this stretch looks tough
Four November games: If Duke is win six games and return to bowl eligibility this season, it probably needs to do so before entering its final four games. In November, Duke faces Pittsburgh, Louisville and Miami at home with a trip to Virginia Tech mixed in. The game at Virginia Tech on Nov. 13 is followed by a Thursday night home game with Louisville, giving the Blue Devils a short week of preparation.
This one should made fans nervous
Kansas at Duke, Sept. 25: Duke probably won’t be favored in many games against Power 5 opponents this season. Kansas, coming off an 0-9 season, could be one of them. Jayhawks coach Les Miles is 3-18 in his three seasons at Kansas. But the Jayhawks will be looking at Duke, which also played poorly last season, as a chance to get right. It would be a bad loss for Duke if the Jayhawks pull this one off.
Duke schedule
Sept. 4 -- at Charlotte
Sept. 11 -- N.C. A&T
Sept. 18 -- Northwestern
Sept. 25 -- Kansas
Oct. 2 -- at North Carolina
Oct. 9 -- Georgia Tech
Oct. 16 -- at Virginia
Oct. 30 -- at Wake Forest
Nov. 6 -- Pittsburgh
Nov. 13 -- at Virginia Tech
Nov. 18 -- Louisville
Nov. 27 -- Miami
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 7:20 AM.