Clemson football taking on the Blue Devils doesn’t normally seem like a big affair. The thing is, times have changed and Duke is all the sudden a competitive team in the ACC. David Cutcliffe parted ways with the program after 13 years with the Blue Devils and Mike Elko took over, leading the team to a Military Bowl win in his first season at the helm.

The Athletic’s Andy Staples ranked the top Power 5 matchups for opening weekend and the ACC bout made it high on the list. Staples even said the Blue Devils are a team to watch out for, as many haven’t been watching.

6: Clemson at Duke

If you think this game is ranked too high, you’ve told on yourself. You didn’t watch the nine-win(!) Blue Devils in coach Mike Elko’s first season. I can’t wait to see Elko match wits with new Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

Week 1 jitters will always exist and the chess game between coaches will be an entertaining one to open the year. If Duke takes another step, there’s an opportunity for this to be one of the best in Week 1 and may have massive implications come ACC Championship time. You can’t count out a rematch in Charlotte either.