Yes, and I don't like that this thread even exists (not a shot at you OP).
Should Duke Football Continue to Compete as a P5 Contender?
1] YES! Duke should commit all necessary resources to strive to become a nationally ranked P5 team.
2] Yes, but: Duke should be realistic about its resources and prospects. It should strive to become a respectable ACC contender [meaning, it should strive for a winning season in the conference and contend for Bowl Games].
3] No. Duke show lower its sights and compete at the FCS level, and/or Divisions II and III.
Yes, and I don't like that this thread even exists (not a shot at you OP).
“Duke: we strive for excellence unless it’s hard or expensive.”
Of course we should aim for league championships and whatever comes after. Not sure how there can be another answer to be honest.
And we’re not dropping down from the ACC, not sure why folks even raise this as a serious thing. (as with Acy, not aimed at the OP).
“I love it. Coach, when we came here, we had a three-hour meeting about the core values. If you really represent the core values, it means diving on the floor, sacrificing your body for your teammates, no matter how much you’re up by or how much you’re down by, always playing hard.” -- Zion
Is it even possible to have a division 2 (or whatever it’s called) football team while remaining in division 1 for all other sports?
The #2 option is both reasonable and achievable. I cannot imagine the PTB at Duke actively accepting the other choices. Football is too much a heavyweight in terms of both revenue and conference participation/leadership.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
This topic, while perhaps pertinent, is not particularly new. I recall this very issue in the 1960's. I believe the faculty and administration under President Knight believed that academic excellence superseded athletic prowess and that the two pursuits were incompatible. Hiring a Cornell football coach with a losing record to replace the legendary Bill Murray was revealing.
Many called for Duke to reduce emphasis on football. Many discussions ensued about forming a conference with like schools.
In any case, I believe Duke's mantra now to be more of "excellence in all we do" rather than "academics first".
As a fairly disinterested 3rd party (I am a UNC grad and Duke basketball only fan) I think option 2 seems reasonable. Duke can be competitive in football and could jump up and threaten to win the conference maybe once a decade or so. The thing that defines this is the ability to get a top-flight quarterback once or twice a decade.
It's embarrassing that we've had this thread pop up several times over the last few months.
Duke can win in football. Cut showed that. Don't let the last two bad seasons overshadow the transformation of this program over the previous decade.
This shouldn't be an issue. We can and should compete in football. If Wake can do, we certainly should be able to do it better. Even "entertaining" the idea we can't compete makes us more likely not to get the players we need. We are paying a price for decades of poor decisions long ago. Let's not perpetuate the problem.
And, while it's a natural question, it's tedious -- because (a) it has been asked so many times and (b) the various OP's totally ignore the potentially catastrophic implications for ACC membership and dollars flowing into the athletic department to support champion sports in non-revenue areas.
Kindly,
Sage
'I mean how could anyone even think of jeopardizing women's golf, which has seven NCAA championships?'
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013