By Mike Hogewood for theACC.com

For every cloud, there is a silver lining. At Duke, the cloud over its football program has been in its win-loss record, recording just 17 wins in the last 10 seasons. But the silver lining can be found in the attitude of new head coach David Cutcliffe - he isn't looking back.

Cutcliffe expects to win at Duke and win right away. His track record speaks for itself. He turned Ole Miss around, winning 44 games and going to five bowl games in six years. Cutcliffe, known as a quarterback and offensive genius, has coached the likes of Peyton and Eli Manning and has been the architect of some high-scoring offenses. Cutcliffe has spent his first months on the job changing attitudes. "They had the misconception that it's easy to win at Tennessee or Virginia Tech. That's not the case. It's tough to win anywhere."

To say Cutcliffe was surprised at what he found at Duke is an understatement. "When I saw them the first time, it was the softest, most out-of-conditioned team I'd ever seen." Since then the conditioning drills have been rigorous. Every player has lost not only pounds but body fat. This year's version of the Blue Devils will be much leaner and stronger than in years past.

Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis

Any Cutcliffe-coached team begins with a prolific offense. For this Duke offense to put points on the board, junior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis will be the key. Expect him to be used the way Cutcliffe used mobile Tennessee quarterbacks Heath Shuler and Tee Martin. "He's been holding back. I didn't realize how good an athlete he was until I started working with him. He has the one thing that you have to have to play well whether you are a Manning or Thaddeus Lewis, he's tough."

Lewis is working hard to become more consistent with his passing. His favorite target will be senior wide receiver Eron Riley. Cutcliffe expects Riley to double his catches from a year ago. Riley loves the multiple formations and movement in the new Duke attack. " It's going to be a lot more exciting for fans to watch and hopefully a lot more exciting for us by putting more points on the board."

The Blue Devils will try to improve an area in which they have really struggled over the past few seasons - in the running game. Veteran back Re'quan Boyette was the team's leading rusher last year with just 432 yards. The biggest difference in the Duke offense should be in an improved offensive line where the new conditioning program has had the most impact.

For the improvement at Duke to show up in its record, the defense must improve. Everybody returns up front on a defense that was near the bottom of every ACC category a year ago. The key on the line will be 6-6 junior Vince Oghobaase. Like most players on the team, he's in the best shape of his career which hopefully will help him avoid injuries that have plagued his first couple of seasons.

Linebacker Michael Tauiliili

One of the league's best linebackers is Michael Tauiliili. He should really flourish at middle linebacker with the Blue Devils' aggressive blitzing style. Tauiliili is another player who has benefited from the new conditioning program. He enters this season 20 pounds lighter than a year ago. Cutcliffe is concerned about a lack of speed in the secondary. There's a chance for some young players to break into the lineup there.

The kicking game has been costly for Duke in the last couple of seasons. In 2007, Blue Devil kickers combined to miss eight of 11 field goal attempts including one in the closing seconds against North Carolina that would have spelled victory. When asked, Cutcliffe said, "I'm thinking about going for it on fourth down and going for two-point conversions." The kicking game will be a focus during preseason practice with freshman Paul Asack, younger brother of backup quarterback Zack Asack, offering a possible solution.

The schedule will be challenging. Duke opens at home against James Madison. Then there are games against Northwestern and Navy before an open date. Conference play for the Blue Devils begins on September 27th against Virginia in Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke has again been picked last in its division. Not much is expected from outsiders looking in, but there is some new excitement and energy about Duke Football. Attendance at the spring game was the largest in history. David Cutcliffe has made this team understand that winning takes hard work and the work in fall practice is all towards one goal. As Cutcliffe explains, "The focus that we have right now is on earning the right to win."