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What happens if Duke wins ACC championship? CFP chaos ensues
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- What happens if Duke wins ACC championship? CFP chaos ensues
Editor's note: Duke beat Virginia 27-20 in overtime on Saturday, Dec 6, to win the ACC championship. For a recap of the game, check out our blog for updates and highlights . This story has been updated with new information.
Queue a dose of College Football Playoff chaos after Duke football beat Virginia in overtime to win the ACC championship on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Blue Devils earned the right to make a long shot case for a berth in the 12-team field, winning a Power Four conference title despite having five losses on the season .
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REQUIRED READING: How did 5-loss Duke football make ACC title game? How Blue Devils made it
Duke (8-5) lost three of its four nonconference games, falling to Illinois , Tulane and UConn . However, the Blue Devils went 6-2 in conference play to tie Miami, Georgia Tech , SMU and Pitt in the ACC standings. Duke reached the conference title game due to tiebreakers after California upset SMU in the regular season finale.
A three-loss team has never made the CFP, let alone one with five losses. Here's a look at how the College Football Playoff may shake up after Duke beat Virginia:
Will Duke make CFP after winning ACC championship?
The CFP format admits the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams. No. 2 Indianaclaimed the Big Ten title over No. 1 Ohio State ; No. 3 Georgiaclaimed the SEC title over No. 9 Alabama ; and No. 4 Texas Techrolled to the Big 12 title over No. 11 BYU .
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That leaves two automatic bids up for grabs.
No. 20 Tulanewill almost assuredly receive one of those five bids after defeating North Texas 34-21 in the American championship game (due to the Green Wave being ranked higher than No. 25 James Madison entering conference championship weekend).
That means the CFP selection committee will need to weigh Duke's resume against Sun Belt champion James Madison for the final slot, including the Blue Devils' tougher strength of schedule despite having five losses.
Duke entered conference championship weekend unranked by any major poll, including the CFP. If the Blue Devils aren't vaulted over James Madison (12-1), it paves the way for two non-Power Four teams to reach the playoff in the same season for the first time.
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"They don't have wins like this," Duke coach Manny Diaz said of James Madison after the win over Virginia. "... (Virginia is) a playoff team."
REQUIRED READING: Tulane vs North Texas highlights: Green Wave win American championship
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happens if Duke wins ACC championship? CFP chaos ensues
