D uke won its sixth straight game with Sunday’s 82-68 win over #18 Notre Dame. Duke took control early and while Notre Dame only used six players, Duke only went seven deep, so it’s not really that big of a difference. Depth wasn’t an issue when Duke ripped off a 13-0 run in the first quarter.

Duke (9-6, 4-0 ACC) passed its test with flying colors. The Blue Devils defeated No. 18 Notre Dame, 82-68, to win their sixth straight game and pick up the team’s first win over a ranked team.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Why Duke Is Eyeing Bigger Things on Gridiron in 2026.

Taliah Scott hit a tiebreaking jumper with two seconds left for the last of her 21 points and No. 22 Baylor picked up a key road victory by handing No. 10 Iowa State its first loss with a 72-70 decision in Big 12 Conference play on Sunday at Ames,

No. 6 Duke is 12-1 with wins over NCAA Tournament teams like Kansas, Arkansas, Florida and Michigan State, and yet it enters 2026 with questions aplenty after a second-half collapse to Texas Tech, followed up by Wednesday's sweaty, six-point win over Georgia Tech as a gargantuan 27.5-point favorite.

Dame Sarr had 13 points, knocked in three 3-pointers, and provided defensive hustle as the Blue Devils earned an ACC road win over Florida State.

In Florida State’s case, Luke Loucks really doesn’t have quality big men. Yet against UNC last time out and against Duke on Saturday, the ‘Noles largely overcame that. To be sure, they didn’t win either game, but they were in both, and against Duke, they were in it until the very end.

On Saturday, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer reported on X that Duke, along with UCLA, would host Cal cornerback transfer Cam Sidney on campus for an official visit at some point during the portal window. Although no official timeline has been announced for Sidney’s visits, his trip to Durham is expected to take place within the next week.