Duke football releases 2014 schedule

Duke's Spring Game is still months away, but the Blue Devils now know who they will be facing in the 2014 campaign. The ACC released its full conference schedule Wednesday, and Duke followed suit by announcing the dates for the team's nonconference matchups.

• Aug. 30: Duke vs. Elon (2-10)
• Sept. 6: Duke @ Troy (6-6)
• Sept. 13: Duke vs. Kansas (3-9)
• Sept. 20: Duke vs. Tulane (7-6; 24-21 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl)
• Sept. 27: Duke @ Miami (9-4; 36-9 loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl)
• Oct. 4: BYE
• Oct. 11: Duke @ Georgia Tech (7-6; 25-17 loss to Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl)
• Oct. 18: Duke vs. Virginia (2-10)*
• Oct. 25: BYE
• Nov. 1: Duke @ Pittsburgh (7-6; 30-27 win over Bowling Green in the Little Caesars Bowl)
• Nov. 8: Duke @ Syracuse (7-6; 21-17 win over Minnesota in the Texas Bowl)
• Nov. 15: Duke vs. Virginia Tech (8-5; 42-12 loss to UCLA in the Sun Bowl)
• Nov. 20: Duke vs. North Carolina (7-6; 39-17 win over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl)**
• Nov. 29: Duke vs. Wake Forest (4-8)***

• Thursday night rivalry game: Usually reserved for the final weekend of the season, Duke will host North Carolina in the penultimate week of the season for a nationally-televised Thursday night matchup. The showdown between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will be the first time Duke has played a Thursday home game in more than 20 years.
• Light October, rough November: Duke will take the field just twice in October, where the Blue Devils will take on two of the ACC's rebuilding squads: Georgia Tech and Virginia. Coupled with two bye weeks, Duke's October schedule should set the team up for a brutal November slate, which features back-to-back road games at Pittsburgh and Syracuse and a four-day turnaround between contests against Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The Blue Devils were undefeated in the month of November in 2013, but this year November success will be much more difficult.