Review the Rivalry: Duke Blue Devils

Rivalry Overview: Tech leads the overall series with Duke 47-30-1. Duke has only played UNC, NC State, and Wake more times than Tech. Tech has only played Auburn and Georgie more times than Duke. Despite playing an ACC schedule for only 20+ odd years, Tech has not missed the annual Duke game since 1933 (78 straight years). Even crazier, Tech and Duke have maintained the Durham-ATL rotation non-stop since 1933. The series is the epitome of consistency.

Another interesting caveat to the story was the hiring of Steve Spurrier in 1987 to be Duke's head coach. Spurrier had served as a quarterbacks coach at Tech in 1979 before his first coaching stint as the Duke OC from 1980-1981. The Blue Devils hired Spurrier on January 6, 1987 and he proved to be an instant game changer in the ACC. Spurrier's three years at Duke saw the Blue Devils go 11-9-1 in ACC play and the run featured Tech's last losing streak to Blue Devils (spanning '87-'89). It would take Duke 10 more years to win as many conference games as they won under Spurrier.

"The Duke administration is tired of being mediocre in football," Spurrier said. "I really believe with the talent we have, we can be competitive. Anything less than a winning season will not be accepted." - Jan. 9, 1987

What Makes the Series a Rivalry: Longevity. The two teams have the seen the relative highs and lows of each other over the years. Keep in mind that the average margin of victory in Tech-Duke games is 15 points and only 28 of the 78 games were decided by less than double digits. Tech faced off against the unscored-upon Iron Dukes back in 1938 and Duke squared off with Tech legends William Alexander, Bobby Dodd, and Bobby Ross. Basketball. Let's be frank. Who doesn't like seeing Duke on the losing side of the scoreboard in any sport due solely to their dominance in hoops?

Personal Rivalry: For me, I really grew a grudge against the Blue Devils in 2003. On November 8, 2003, Duke soundly defeated Tech 41-17 effectively ending Duke's 41 game ACC losing streak. Ted Roof, a Tech alum, was the interim Duke coach of the time making the loss even more bitter for Tech fans from the 80's. What got me PO'ed at Duke fans was the way the students did not come to the game until around half time because they were winning. The sheer lack of acknowledgement for football, to me, is utterly disgusting. I hope my future children never want to attend Duke.

Any Dukie haters out there? Any thoughts on Tech's third most played series?