​The 2026 college football season is quickly approaching. In just under a month, Fall camps will open up and it will start to feel like football season.For the Duke Blue Devils, they enter this season fresh off an Atlantic Coast Conference title as they beat Virginia in overtime last season. From there, Duke won their bowl game and built some momentum going into this offseason.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, a big move with quarterback Darian Mensah heading to Miami changed those plans quickly. With Mensah gone, the Blue Devils have to turn to a new quarterback, and it might be a big factor for Manny Diaz’s team.But sitting here in July, renowned college football analyst Phil Steele has released his annual magazine, which is regarded as one of the best previews every year. In his 2026 version, he broke down the ACC, and he’s not very high on the Blue Devils.Steele predicted Duke to finish 11th in the conference with only North Carolina, Syracuse, Stanford, Cal, and Boston College behind them.It’s safe to say that the Mensah departure impacted Duke’s ranking. With Mensah, Steele might have given the Blue Devils a shot to finish inside the top five or six in the ACC at least in preseason. Instead, the Blue Devils are 11th as he expects them to take a step backward.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs for Mensah’s new team, Miami takes the top spot. Steele predicts the Hurricanes will be the top team in the ACC after they are coming off a runner-up finish in the College Football Playoff. Mensah certainly helps what was already expected to be a good team.For Duke, Diaz and the Blue Devils are past that now. The head coach knows life in college football can be rough, especially with this new era. He trusts in what he has built at Duke in terms of his offense and defense, so he’s out to prove some doubters wrong moving forward here in 2026.Time will tell if Duke can build on last season’s finish and take it into this year with another successful season potentially on tap.