By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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If there has ever been a team that has taken solace in offseason optimism, it would certainly be the Duke Blue Devils.

One of the best things about college football, and really sports in general, is that a new season always brings new opportunities and a sense of optimism to teams throughout the country. No matter how a team fared in the past, everybody starts the season off with the same record and, theoretically, has the same chance of winning the national title.

If there has ever been a team that has taken solace in offseason optimism, it would certainly be the Duke Blue Devils.

As cruel as it may sound, the offseason has more often than not proven to be the highlight of Duke’s football season over the past 15 or so years.

Since the Blue Devils last earned an invitation to a postseason bowl game following the 1994 regular season, the program has managed to win just 34 games over the past 16 seasons, an average of slightly more than two victories per season.

The good news for Blue Devil fans is that 12 of those 34 wins have come in the last three years under the direction of head coach David Cutcliffe.

Now in his fourth year in Durham, Cutcliffe claims that this is the most talented team that he has had since arriving at Duke in 2008. While Cutcliffe undoubtedly realizes that an increase in talent won’t do much good unless it translates to victories on the gridiron, his optimism seems to have generated quite a buzz in the Durham community.

I recently made the drive out to Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium to take a firsthand look at the program for Duke Football’s annual Fan Day, and it is safe to say that many diehard Duke fans wholeheartedly believe that this is the year the Blue Devils will finally break their string of losing seasons and make a return to postseason play.

For once, it seems like there is legitimate reason for these Blue Devil fans to believe that there team is capable of going bowling this season. The offense returns eight starters, and is in prime position to average more than 30 points a game, while the defense appears to be taking well to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ new 4-2-5 scheme.

Looking back to 2010, five of Duke’s nine losses were by 10 points or less. The 381.3 yards per game that the offense averaged was the highest number for a Duke team since Steve Spurrier paced the sidelines in 1989. However, nine lost fumbles and 19 interceptions eventually led to a -11 turnover margin, which crippled the Blue Devils in the scoring column.

While there are still some serious questions for the Blue Devils this season, particularly on the defensive front, this is a team that is not as far away from being a bowl team as many pundits might think.

If the Blue Devils can cut down on their number of turnovers, their offense is likely to be one of the best that the ACC has to offer. Quarterback Sean Renfree, tight end Cooper Helfet, and wide receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon are all capable of being All-ACC performers, and the running game has shown signs of improvement since Duke finished last in the FBS in rushing in 2009.

The Blue Devils will certainly not be stalwarts on defense this year, but the new 4-2-5 defensive scheme will allow some of their talented players in the secondary, such as safety Matt Daniels, to roam the field and make plays using their athleticism.

This Duke team understands that most college football fans won’t believe them when they say that they are good enough to play in a bowl game this year, but that has done nothing to lessen the confidence that they have in themselves.

The Blue Devils firmly believe that they are talented enough to compete with any team In the ACC. All that’s left to do is to prove it on the field.