Duke outscores opponents by 19.6 points per game (scoring 82.5 per game to rank 47th in college basketball while allowing 62.9 per contest to rank third in college basketball) and has a +647 scoring differential overall.
Diaz said Sunday that Duke "absolutely" belongs in the title game thanks to a 6-2 conference record and that, if the Blue Devils win Saturday, they should one of the five highest-ranked conference champions and receive a berth in the playoff.
The Bears take the field without nine-year coach Justin Wilcox, who was fired last Sunday following the Bears' 31-10 collapse in the Big Game at Stanford. Interim head coach Nick Rolovich, who is among at least 14 names on general manager Ron Rivera's list of potential replacements, indicated Tuesday he likely would be open to remaining on the staff even if someone else is chosen as coach. Rolovich served most of this season as senior offensive analyst . . .