Duke and Virginia Meet in ACC Clash Amid Shaky Form

Duke and Virginia, the two programs that met in last season's ACC championship game, face each other again Friday night with far less certainty about where either team stands, according to a preview from the New York Post.

What are Duke and Virginia's records entering the game?

Duke arrives at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC, while Virginia is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play, the New York Post reports. Neither mark resembles the form that carried both programs to the title game in December, when Duke finished the regular season 7-5 but advanced on tiebreakers after a 6-2 conference record, per the outlet.

Why has Virginia's offense struggled without Chandler Morris?

Virginia's run to last season's championship game was powered by quarterback Chandler Morris, the New York Post notes, and the Cavaliers have not replicated that production since his departure. His successor, Beau Pribula, a transfer from Missouri, has shown flashes when able to extend plays with his legs, but the outlet reports he has "taken some serious licks," which has blunted that part of his game. The result, according to the preview, has been three difficult outings in a row for Pribula and Virginia's offense.

What happened when Duke and Virginia met for the ACC title?

The two sides' previous meeting produced what the New York Post calls "one of the most unexpected championship games in the modern era of college football." Duke's path to that game came despite a 7-5 overall record, with the Blue Devils reaching the final through their 6-2 ACC mark and a series of tiebreakers, the outlet reports. A repeat trip for either team this December, the preview states, "would be an even bigger shock."

How have Duke's losses unfolded this season?

Duke opened with a win over Illinois that the New York Post describes as impressive, but the Blue Devils have since dropped one-possession games to North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Quarterback Walker Eget, pictured scrambling against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Oct. 10, has not yet produced the kind of results that lifted Duke through last season's conference slate, according to the outlet's account of the matchup.

What does Virginia's non-conference form look like?

Virginia's season began with a dominant win over NC State, the New York Post reports, but that performance has not carried forward. A 38-7 loss to Florida State stands out as particularly lopsided, the outlet notes, adding that the result "looks especially ugly, given what we now know about the Seminoles."

Friday's game in the Atlantic Coast Conference offers both programs a chance to find footing before the stretch run, though the New York Post's preview frames the matchup around uneven quarterback play on both sidelines rather than any return to last season's form. Full matchup breakdown at the New York Post.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.