Originally Posted by
Olympic Fan
To me, this is a fun situation: If Duke goes to Stanford and wins, it's the biggest victory for the program this century -- certainly the biggest since 1994 (the last time Duke beat a ranked team) and maybe the biggest since 1971 (the last time Duke beat a ranked team on the road).
It would be a HUGE step towards accomplishing our primary goal this season -- get to six wins and qualify for a bowl.
On the other hand, a loss would not really impact that goal -- none of my realistic scenarios to get to six wins include a victory at Stanford. Take a loss and we shrug and move on ... we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Like I said, fun
It's kind of like the opposite of the next two weeks. Against NCCU and Memphis, we HAVE to win. I think we will win both games, but a loss in either would be crushing. Those games are nothing to win situations. We have to win to be in position to make the Wake and Virginia games that follow mean something.
I'll enjoy tonight's game. I hope and expect Duke to be competitive, but won't be upset if things don't go our way. The only thing that will really crush me will be if we have the game won and let it get away (like several recent Wake games).