Outlook: Will the Blue Devils' run of losing seasons end at 13 this year? Probably not. But the hiring of Cutcliffe, who had successful tenures as Mississippi's coach and as Tennessee's offensive coordinator, has re-energized a moribund program. Coach: David Cutcliffe (first season at Duke; 44-29 overall) 2007: 0-8 in ACC (last in Coastal), 1-11 overall Players to watch: Thaddeus Lewis, Jr. QB; Eron Riley, Sr. WR; Cameron Goldberg, Jr. OT; Vince Oghobaase, Jr. DT; Michael Tauiliili, Sr. LB; Adrian Aye-Darko, Sr. S. All eyes on: Lewis, a three-year starter now under the tutelage of Cutcliffe, who previously has coached such quarterbacks as Eli and Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler and Tee Martin. Lewis has passed for 4,564 yards and 32 touchdowns -- with 26 interceptions -- as a Blue Devil. Big game: Sept. 27, Virginia. The Blue Devils' ACC opener looks like an excellent opportunity for them to end their 25-game losing streak in conference play. Duke already is a fashionable upset pick in this game. Quotable: "It's been a huge buzz since Coach Cutcliffe came in, a man of his caliber . . . and a lot of people are excited because he's doing everything to put Duke football on the map. It's up to us players to go out on the football field and do our end of the bargain." -- Thaddeus Lewis Key stat: Duke has 10 starters returning on defense, the most of any ACC team. Then again, that might not be such a good thing for Cutcliffe, given that the Devils ranked last in the league in total defense and scoring defense last year. The bottom line: Sixth in the Coastal. Cutcliffe may well produce a winner at Duke -- though history suggests he'll struggle to do so -- but the turnaround won't come immediately. The other ACC teams have more talent and more depth than Duke. DateOpponentTime
Aug. 30James Madison7 p.m.
Sept. 6Northwestern7 p.m.
Sept. 13Navynoon
Sept. 27VirginiaTBA
Oct. 4at Georgia TechTBA
Oct. 18Miami (Fla.)TBA
Oct. 25at VanderbiltTBA
Nov. 1at Wake ForestTBA
Nov. 8N.C. StateTBA
Nov. 15at ClemsonTBA
Nov. 22at Virginia TechTBA
Nov. 29North CarolinaTBA