Duke football predictions from fans ahead of the 2026 season, including record

How do college football fans feel about the Duke football entering the 2026 season?  A survey released by The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network invited fans to share their predictions before the Blue Devils open their 2026 season against Tulane at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. After winning the program's first ACC title since 1989 and recording back-to-back nine win seasons, Duke brings back 10 starters while losing 17, most notably quarterback Darian Mensah to Miami, as Manny Diaz enters his third season at the helm. Here are the results of four questions answered by fans about Duke football ahead of the 2026 season.  Buy Duke football tickets Who will be Duke football's MVP in 2026 season? Nate Sheppard is coming off a breakout freshman season, one that saw him become the only 1,000-yard rookie rusher in program history, so it's no surprise to see him lead MVP voting among fans at 62.9%. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Sheppard rushed 200 times for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns, seeing time in all 14 of the Blue Devils' games but starting the final 10. Heading into 2026, Sheppard is tabbed as the No. 7 returning running back per Pro Football Focus. Tight end Jeremiah Hasley, linebacker Luke Mergott and quarterbacks Walker Eget and Dan Mahan also received votes. Who will be Duke football's top newcomer in 2026 season? Among Duke's new faces in 2026, fans voted wide receiver Jared Richardson (40%) to be the Blue Devils' top newcomer. A Penn transfer, Richardson earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy honors in 2025 after leading the conference with 1,033 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished his four-year Penn career ranked third in school history in receiving yards (2,505), fourth in receptions (193) and tied for second in touchdown catches (27). The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Richardson will be looking to lead a Duke wideout room that lost its top three targets from last season’s ACC championship team, most notably Cooper Barkate. Close behind Richardson was quarterback Walker Eget, who brought in 33.4% of votes. Running back CJ Campbell Jr., wide receiver Javen Nicholas, cornerback Kyon Loud and safety Patrick Smith-Young also received votes. Who should start for Duke football at quarterback in 2026? One of the Blue Devils biggest storylines heading into the season is who will start under center. Following Mensah's transfer, Duke brought in San José State transfer Walker Eget from the portal, who is competing for the starting spot alongside redshirt freshman Dan Mahan. It was close, but 47.5% of fans voted for Eget to be the starter while 45% voted for Mahan. A sixth-year player, Eget started 18 games across the last two seasons for the Spartans, throwing for 5,563 yards and 30 touchdowns. He did tear his ACL during the 2024 season and underwent surgery following the 2025 campaign. He missed spring practice with the Blue Devils but was cleared in time for fall camp. What will Duke football's record be in 2026 season? Duke has had back-to-back nine win seasons under Diaz and has won at least eight games since 2021. According to ESPN’s strength of schedule rankings, the Blue Devils enter the season at No. 46. The slate includes an early road test at Illinois, a rematch of the ACC championship at Virginia and a home Friday night contest against Clemson. With that, 35.5% of fans believe Duke will finish the regular season with a 9-3 record. Another 29.1% of fans picked Duke to finish 8-4 and 19.4% predicted a 7-5 finish. A 10-2 season, which would be Duke's first since 2013, was believable for 9.7% of fans who took part in the survey. Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.  This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke football predictions from fans ahead of the 2026 season, including record