Duke Football Schedule 2026: Full Blue Devils Slate, Dates, TV, and Key Games

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All times Eastern. Remaining ACC kickoff times and networks are announced on 12 day or six day notice. The Clemson game moved from Saturday, Nov 21 to Friday, Nov 20 in the ACC’s May revision. The ACC Championship Game is Saturday, Dec 5 in Charlotte.

Games That Will Define the Blue Devils’ Season

Sept 5 vs Tulane A CFP team from the American to open. Tulane went 11-3 and represented the Group of Six in the playoff last year, but has a new head coach after Jon Sumrall left for Florida.
Oct 17 vs North Carolina The Victory Bell game in Durham, the first of three straight weeks against the state’s ACC neighbors and the rival that went 4-8 in Bill Belichick’s first season.
Oct 23 at Virginia A Friday night ACC Championship Game rematch in Charlottesville on ESPN. Virginia went 11-3 and won the Gator Bowl; this is the game most likely to decide who plays in Charlotte again.
Nov 20 vs Clemson Clemson at Wallace Wade on a Friday night on ESPN, in the second to last week. The Tigers were unranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2011 but received the most votes of any team outside the top 25.
Nine ACC Games
Duke is one of 12 ACC teams playing nine league games in 2026, with five on the road: Georgia Tech, Virginia, NC State, Miami and Wake Forest. The whole conference goes to nine in 2027.
Two Fridays on ESPN
Both Friday games, at Virginia Oct 23 and Clemson Nov 20, are exclusive ESPN windows. Duke also opens Big Ten play for Illinois on FS1 in Week 2.
Diaz’s Start
Two seasons, two nine win years, a Sun Bowl win and the first outright ACC title since 1962. No Duke coach has opened with three straight nine win seasons.

How the Schedule Sets Up

Three of the first four are in Durham, and the early bye lands before the road opener at Georgia Tech. The middle stretch is where the title defense lives: North Carolina, the Friday trip to Virginia, and Boston College at home. November is four ACC games in a row, three of them away, with Clemson on the Friday between the Miami and Wake Forest trips.

For the other side of these dates, see our Clemson schedule and Georgia Tech schedule, and our Tulane vs. Duke how to watch page for the opener. The official schedule and ticket details are on GoDuke.com.

The Bottom Line

Six home games, an early bye, nine ACC games, and two Friday nights on ESPN. Diaz’s third team is the defending conference champion, and the Oct 23 trip to Virginia is the game that will tell you whether it stays that way. Bookmark this page; results and kickoff times are updated throughout the season.