The Countdown: 38 days until the ACC

38 days until the ACC: DOOK...

Today we preview Dickie V's favorite program of all time* Duke. First, some fast facts on the Blue Devils

Founded: 1838

Enrollment: 14,248

Joined ACC: 1953

All-time football record: 463-492-31 (48.5% winning percentage)

All-time basketball record: 2001-840 (70.4% winning percentage)

Football stadium: Wallace Wade Stadium (33,941 seating capacity)

Basketball arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,341 seating capacity)

Baseball stadium: Jack Coombs Field (2,000) and Durham Bulls Athletic Park (10,000)

Comparable Big East team: Connecticut (really good at basketball, totally a team Pitt would lose to in football despite having more talented players)

Duke is one of the original charter members of the ACC, along with Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina and Wake Forest. That was about the last time Duke was a football power. Since 1962, the Blue Devils have appeared in the polls just 3 other seasons (1971, 1989, 1994). In fact, Duke has gone over 250 straight AP polls without being ranked in one of them, which is the 13th longest streak in the NCAA.

Yes, I am kind of ragging on Duke football. They have been really bad, for a really long time. That's slowly beginning to change though, as head coach David Cutcliffe finally broke through to a bowl game in his 5th season in Durham after getting close in his first few years. Although they lost the Belk Bowl to Cincinnati, they still were a factor in the Coastal Division chase until late in the season. They do have to replace their quarterback and they lost their top receiver, so this season may be a step back.

But no one knows Duke for football, unless you were a college football fan in the 40s. Everyone knows Coach K. Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Cameron Crazies. Whether you like them or not (and chances are you don't), the Blue Devils are one of the nations elite basketball programs. With 4 NCAA championships since 1991 and 15 Final Four appearances, Duke has had a lot of success under Mike Krzyzewski, who's led the Blue Devils since 1980. They've also had some memorable losses in the NCAA Tournament, like Lehigh. Or VCU. Or WVU. They're kind of like Pitt, only with Final Four trips.

Pitt holds a 9-8 lead in the football series between the two schools, although the two haven't met since 1976, when Pitt beat Duke 44-31 in Durham en route to the national championship. In hoops, the Panthers and the Blue Devils are tied at 6-6, with Pitt winning the most recent matchup in Madison Square Garden 6 years ago.

*may or may not be true... actually, it's 100% true