With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just around the corner, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever closer.
With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.
2026 Schedule
- Sept. 5: at LSU
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
- Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami
- Oct. 10: Open Date
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
- Oct. 31: at Florida State
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
Week 12: Duke (9-5, 6-2 ACC Champs)
The reigning ACC champions are going to look a little different in 2026.
Manny Diaz enters his third season as head coach, and he’s having to replace the Blue Devils’ biggest star from last season, quarterback Darian Mensah, who Miami poached during the 11th hour of the portal window. Because of Mensah, in large part, Duke led the ACC in passing yards (285 YPG) last year and in points per game (34.6). The Blue Devils also lost one of their top wideouts, Cooper Barkate, who had more than 1,000 receiving yards.
San Jose transfer Walker Eget takes over at QB. He threw for more than 5,500 yards with 30 touchdowns over the past two years, and he is capable of making plays with his legs, something Mensah didn’t do much of. However, he also threw 19 interceptions over the past two seasons.
Eget has some talented pass catchers to work with. Tight end Jeremiah Halsey is one of the league’s best at his position. Jared Richardson comes over from Penn State, and Javen Nicholas from Charlotte. The two combined for over 150 catches last season.
Second-team All-ACC running back Nate Sheppard is back and anchors the backfield, so if the offensive line can hold up, the running game could be a strength. Duke was 6-1 last season when rushing for 140 yards or more.
Center Matt Maycraft returns, as does veteran guard Jordan Larsen, but two of the better linemen, Brian Parker II and Justin Pickett, are gone. Tackles Braden Miller (Cal) and Nick Del Grande (Coastal Carolina) were added from the portal.
Duke uses a 4-2-5 look on the defensive side of the ball, with linebackers Luke Mergott and Kendall Johnson making the Devils strong up in the middle of the unit. However, there will be a lot of new faces up front along the defensive line.
The group has to be better at getting off the field, though, after allowing opponents to convert at a 45% clip on third downs last season.
Where this group really needs to be better is its pass defense. Duke had the third-worst pass defense in the country last season.
As hard as it is to believe, Clemson has lost two straight to Duke. The Blue Devils came into Death Valley and knocked off the Tigers in a heartbreaker last season, with Clemson also losing in Durham to start the 2023 season. Before that, Duke’s last win in the series was way back in 2004.
No matter what happens in the weeks leading up to this one, this is a game the Tigers need to win. No way this program should be dropping three straight to Duke, no matter how improved the Blue Devils are in recent years.
Having said that, this will be a road game and a Friday night road game at that, meaning it will be a short week. It also takes place the week before the rivalry matchup against the Gamecocks. But we’re talking about Duke and Clemson should never lose three straight in this series.
