After a hard-fought overtime victory in the ACC championship, Duke now has at least a faint argument for earning a spot in the 12-team playoff field. That raises an obvious question: how could a team with five losses fit into the bracket? It remains a long shot. But it’s also HC Manny Diaz’s only realistic path to justifying the significant investment in the program made in its star quarterback, Darian Mensah.

Duke brought in transfer quarterback Darian Mensah this season on an NIL deal reportedly worth up to $8 million over two years. But what if you can recoup that money, and your only way is to enter the playoffs? One would never let go of that chance, right?

A conference earns $6 million for each team that reaches a Playoff Semifinal and each team that makes the national championship

See Full Page