By BRYAN STRICKLAND

bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671

DURHAM -- Duke coach David Cutcliffe warned his team Sunday afternoon of the possible distractions that their recent success could bring.

At the same time, he recognizes that it's nice for the Blue Devils have to deal with distractions in November.

"They're going to hear it in class. They're going to hear it walking across campus. They're going to hear it from their family," Cutcliffe said. "People are happy, and thank goodness they are; it beats the heck out of the alternative."

With their third consecutive victory Saturday at Virginia, the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 ACC) find themselves in contention for the ACC Coastal Division crown and in contention for a bowl game.

Winners of four of their past five games, the Blue Devils even got three points in the USA Today Coaches' Poll that was released Sunday.

The buzz around the Blue Devils from external sources is nice, but it's nothing compared to the feelings inside a football program that's had just one winning record over the past 19 seasons.

"There was a lot of joy," Cutcliffe said of the loud locker room in Charlottesville. "Our seniors, I made eye contact with all of them, and there was a lot of emotion. Those guys have been knocked around pretty good, and they know how hard they've worked.

"The atmosphere was wonderful. It was fun."

When Duke's players turn on the television and happen to catch clips of themselves these days, it's more likely to be highlights than lowlights for the first time in a long time.

But Cutcliffe, determined to keep his team from becoming overconfident, won't hesitate to pop in a game tape that's edited a little differently than what his players might see on the evening news.

"There are reasons we're winning, but Lord, if you look at us, there are nine million things we have to improve," he said. "So what you do is just show them reality."

Even so, it's refreshing that reality doesn't bite.