Duke enters the season as reigning ACC champs, but the team that hoists a trophy in December rarely looks the same by the following September — and this opener will be the first real look at what's left.
Bush’s Picks
TULNDUKE
TULNDUKE
OverUnder
Best BetDuke
Duke's still the more proven program even with Mensah gone — a coaching staff that just won a conference title and a quarterback transfer with real career volume beats a Tulane team replacing its coach and its quarterback at the same time. Backing the home side outright makes sense in a spot where continuity matters more than raw talent evaluation.
Tulane
+Will Hall knows the program, was prior Tulane OC
+Semonza has shown he can produce as a starter
−Quarterback competition still unsettled in spring ball
−New coach and new QB together, road opener
Duke
+Reigning ACC champions, coaching continuity under Diaz
+Eget brings proven career passing volume
−Lost Mensah, ACC's leading passer, to Miami
−Also lost top target Cooper Barkate in the same move
No probable pitchers here, obviously — this is a football season-opener, and the real story is two programs replacing the guy who got them here. Duke won its first outright ACC title since 1962 last December, beating Virginia 27-20 in overtime behind Darian Mensah, who then bolted for Miami in the offseason along with top receiver Cooper Barkate. Tulane, meanwhile, is breaking in Will Hall as head coach after promoting from within once Jon Sumrall moved on, and the Green Wave are replacing a starting quarterback of their own in Jake Retzlaff.
San Jose State transfer Walker Eget is Manny Diaz's answer at quarterback for Duke, a guy who's thrown for over 5,500 yards in his career but never at this level of competition. He won't have Mensah's connection with Hasley built in from day one, and that matters against anyone, let alone a Tulane defense that will be looking to make a first impression under a brand-new staff. On the other side, Tulane's quarterback room is still an open competition as of the spring, with Kadin Semonza — a MAC touchdown machine at Ball State two years ago who didn't play last season — the presumptive favorite over a crowded field that includes a transfer and a true freshman.
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TULN Tulane
DUKE Duke
Both rosters will look different than the ones that finished 2025, and how differently is still being sorted out in fall camp. Duke's staying power comes from continuity at the top — Diaz is a well-regarded coach who just won a conference title — while Tulane's is a program hire betting that Hall, a former Green Wave offensive coordinator, knows the building well enough to keep the machine running without its old quarterback.
Tulane Green Wave
Duke Blue Devils
Recent form.
This is the type of opener that tells you more about depth than about who's actually the better team long-term. Duke gets to open at home off a signature season, with a roster that was good enough to overcome a first-year staff wrinkle or two. Tulane is asking a new coach and an unproven quarterback to go on the road in Week 1 against a defending league champ — about as tough a debut as it gets.
Tulane Green Wave
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Duke Blue Devils
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Neither team has had to answer these questions in a real game yet, which is exactly what makes this one worth circling. Whoever settles in at quarterback first, and whoever's offensive line holds up under a new system, is going to have the early edge — and September openers have a way of exposing exactly that.
