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DURHAM -- Whom to hug? That was the big dilemma for the Duke students at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday.

One option was the Blue Devil mascot, who, incidentally, has taken on a leaner mien with a new, plastic-looking head.

Then there were the four or five Duke players who did a Lambeau Leap into the first row. They're the ones who made the merriment possible with a 31-3 win over Virginia that snapped a 25-game ACC losing streak.

Third choice: Jack Seiler, a member of the Florida House of Representatives who attended in his capacity as an emissary of the Orange Bowl Committee. The Orange Bowl, lest Duke fans forget, is the postseason home of the ACC champion.

Seiler may have been the most popular guy in the place. "Orange Bowl," they bellowed as they high-fived the 45-year-old lawmaker, easily identifiable by his orange sport coat.

"This is what I saw and heard two years ago at Wake Forest," he said, referring to the Demon Deacons' shocking ACC title in 2006.

Don't make those travel plans just yet, but you might want to take the laugh track out of heavy rotation.

"We're a good football team now," said the architect of this 3-1 start, first-year Duke coach David Cutcliffe. "I wouldn't say we're even near a great team. But we have a good team, which means it can go either way for us."

Before Saturday, you'd have had an easier time finding O.J. Simpson's moral compass than a Blue Devil with an ACC football victory. Duke has now won consecutive games against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-A) members for the first time since 1997.

The Devils even received a vote in the USA Today top 25 poll. That panel is made up of coaches, some of whom have been known to cast a ballot for their friends -- or against their foes -- from time to time. So, Cutcliffe knows he can't exult too much. He's also aware that his team has just finished a season-opening, four-game homestand, a scheduling circumstance that rivals a 25-game losing streak in rarity.

The program is 1-31 on the ACC road this decade as it prepares for Saturday's game at Georgia Tech (noon, ESPNU). The current Devils won't run out of chances to prove themselves. Almost weekly, they'll be confronted by some kind of futility string that's crying to be snapped.

"We should be hungry enough for a 10- to 15-year stretch of devouring food," the coach said. "Of course, I'm not literally talking about food."

Imagine this: When Duke plays at Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, neither team will have a losing record. The Commodores (4-0) are ranked nationally for the first time since Lionel Richie left. (That's 1984 in this case.)

Elsewhere, that Wake Forest-Clemson matchup Oct. 9 lost some of its shine when the Demon Deacons threw one overboard against Navy and the Tigers blew a double-digit lead to visiting Maryland, which had last been seen losing at Middle Tennessee State. The Tigers and Deacs will play as scheduled on ESPN (7:30, Oct. 9), but it's hard to call it the Atlantic Division title game with any certainty.

Likewise, North Carolina's not yet dead and Miami's not yet back. Seeing the Hurricanes lose a 14-0 lead and fall on a last-minute touchdown must have reminded the locals of Frank Reich, Doug Flutie and a 1984 that was as disturbing as anything George Orwell had imagined.

Virginia Tech might be the ACC animal that's more equal than others after a win at Nebraska. We'll know more after the Hokies' consecutive games at Boston College and Florida State in October.

We already know Duke has surpassed expectations. The front row Saturday offered plenty of proof.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com