Next Up For Football - UNC

If I were David Cutcliffe, the only numbers that I would have on the locker room white board are these: 45-20 and 3. That's the final score and the number of turnovers Duke had in their 2014 loss to North Carolina. Like this year, Duke entered that game coming off of a narrow (although not controversial) loss to Virginia Tech. Still, the Blue Devils held their fate in their own hands. A home game against the rival team that was having a down year with a conference division title on the line Should have been a no brainer. But instead, Duke managed to turn the ball over time and again and the Victory Bell (and visitor locker room) were painted light blue.

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Plenty of prognosticators will talk about Duke coming into this game wanting to revenge the wrong of last Saturday night. This is the only paragraph in this story that will discuss the Miami game. Like all Duke fans (and nearly all of the country) I think that Duke was robbed on the final play. But instead of focusing on the final play, I like to remind people that Duke had plenty of chances to put the game away. Missed field goals. Fumbles (again, a controversial point, but still you have to hold onto the ball). Two opportunities within the five yard line and only three points. To paraphrase Taylor Swift, Duke has to shake off last week. Haters will hate. But players have to make plays.

The Duke-UNC games of the last three years say a lot about the turning of the tide with the football rivalry. The 2012 game got Duke to the magical six win mark, and while the Blue Devils would go onto lose their next four games of the season (pretty handedly to Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami), Duke made it to a bowl game. The next year, Duke went on the road and won a tight game against the Tar Heels, a game that had division title implications (a Duke loss would have led to a four way tie at 5-3 in the division and lots of potential tie breakers. Duke had at least lost to Georgia Tech that year, so it is not clear the Blue Devils would have captured the title).

Looking carefully at the 2014 and 2015 seasons there are many similarities. Both games had a loss early in the year (Duke fell to Miami 22-10 in 2014 and of course lost to Northwestern this year). Both games featured exciting overtime thrillers on the road (Duke beat Pittsburgh 51-48 in two OT in 2014). And both seasons had the Blue Devils falling in the game immediately preceding the game against the Tar Heels.

One thing that some have mentioned in the Miami discussion is that even with the chaos Duke STILL holds its own destiny in its hands. Win the next four games and the Blue Devils are division champs. Lose one of the next two games and the chances at a division title become nearly impossible. Lose one of the final two games (at Virginia and at Wake Forest) and the fate of a division title may be in someone else's hands. It all depends on what happens on the field. Players gotta play.

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