Eagle Links - Week of 10/4

Here are some of the links from the papers, articles and blogosphere from the past few:

October 8th:
Herald - Luke Kuechly Defying Odds
Herald - Eagles Show Up Critics
Herald - FSU President: Bowden's Job Safe For Now
Globe - BC Making Experts Look Foolish
WEEI - VTech Preview
Roanoke Times - Tranquill Unretires to Coach Offense
TechSideline.com - Game Preview
GobblerCountry.com - What to Watch vs BC
MetroWest Daily News - Kuechly a Freshman Sensation

October 7th:
Globe - No. 5 Hokies Need to Focus with BC Ahead
Washington Post - Anyone's Guess in ACC Atlantic
Washington Post - Hokies Will Need Balance Against Eagles
Roanoke Times - VTech Defense Looks to Cut Down on Big Plays

October 6th:
ACC Sports Journal - ACC Power Rankings
ESPN - BC's Shinskie Just Getting Warmed Up
ESPNBoston - Herzlich Love Being Around Team
Herald - Virginia Breathes a Little Easier
Herald - Trustee:Bobby Bowden Must Go

October 5th:
Globe - BC Finding Ways to Win
Herald - BC Flying into True Test
BC Receiving Votes in both Polls

HUGE PROPS to CSOM_97 from the Rival.com site EagleAction's Message Boards, for compiling these links! Thanks.

Come back late for my predictions!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - FSU Game

Hey here we are, the Monday heading into the Virginia Tech game, sitting at 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference. There aren't many fans out there who predicted BC would be this good thus far. I was really skeptical about this team but I have been proven wrong. The Eagles are going to continue to win as long as they continue to recruit the BC type of player that they have been recruiting for years. Now to look back at the FSU game:

The Good:

• David Shinskie has put his best foot forward and has claimed that Starting QB spot.
• Montel Harris looked as good as ever
• The Offensive line dominated the game, they way we expected from the start of the season
• Colin Larmond is a diamond in the ruff. Wow, we got ourselves a good one here.
• Luke Kuechly is showing us that he is a top linebacker who should be on the field at all times
• The end of the 1st half downpour, right when FSU was driving. Couldn't have happened at a better time.
  
• Gary Tranquill's 1st half play calling. Great job at switching it up and keeping the 'Noles on their heels. No just do it for the whole game.
• ESPN's Mark Herzlich Tribute. Not a dry eye on the gameday site!
  

The Bad:

• The second half. Blew another big lead. Can't do that against a team like Virginia Tech.
• Zone Blitz. We did this the whole second half and it didn't work. Need to work on it.
• Fumbles. Very troublesome. The last thing we can afford to do it give free posessions to the other team.
• The Defensive Backs. They get a partial pass because the defensive line is anemic at rushing the passer and they can't cover all day, but they got to pick it up a little.
  
• The crowd at kickoff. Mark Herzlich addressed the crowd prior to the game but the stadium was half empty. Very embarassing for such a big game.

The Ugly:

• The 3rd quarter. Only 2 pass players for Dave Shinskie after he had such a great 1st half? Enough "playing not to lose."
• The Pass rush. Any half decent QB will tear this defense apart with that much time in the pocket. Got to get a little pressure.
• Kickoffs. Kick the ball deep, I don't care if god is returning kicks. Giving them the ball at the 40+ yardline for free every drive is pointless. Atleast make them earn it.
• Kickoff returns. Jeff Smith had a good offensive touchdown but his time returning kicks should come to a close. He is afraid of any human contact and should just be used as a speed guy on offense.

All in all, there is plenty to improve on as a team, but you can't complain about the effort. The team leaves it all on the field every game and that is a great quality. The Eagles have a lot of positives to build on and they will have a MAJOR test next weekend at Lane Stadium vs. the Hokies. Go Eagles!!

BC vs. FSU - My Pick

This week, I have decided that I am going to give you guys a deeper look at my pick for the BC game. This weeks game, at home vs. FSU is a really confusing one to me, specifically because FSU has been so unpredictable this year. They played very well in a loss against a much improved Miami team, they then looked TERRIBLE while barely winning vs. a weak Jacksonville State team, then they proceeded to make one of the best BYU teams ever look like a FCS team and finally look brutal against South Florida. Who knows what is going to happen.

I personally, think it is going to be a very close game, especially now that the forecast calls for a 60%-80% chance of rain. The run games will be showcased and the team that can stop the run will probably win the game. That is one reason why I am kind of worried. BC's run defense has been alright, but it has been nothing special. However,I think the improvement we will see in Mike McLaughlin will really help out the Eagles.

All the hype around Gameday coming to Boston, and Mark Herzlich could help the Eagles come out flying and not let up all game or it could be a distraction, pump FSU and they Eagles could get blown out. There are too many variables for me in this game which is why I am not confident about this game at all.

Prediction: FSU 24, BC 21

Eagle Links: 9/30

Well it was a good weekend for the Eagles last weekend, getting their first ACC win under their belt, albeit in dramatic fashion, getting some very good QB play and having someone put their best foot forward in the competition, and last of all finding out that College Gameday was going to be coming to Chestnut Hill this weekend and doing a huge tribute for Mark Herzlich.

Speaking of Gameday, BC has announced the parking procedures for this weekend, and everyone with a parking pass will be allowed to park on capus and attend the live show (just no tailgating during that time).

ESPN has released a "guide" for what to do in Boston on this Gameday weekend. Its alright for the outside, but its meh for the people from around the area.

BC has released their Depth Chart for the Florida State game and there are two key changes on it this week. Luke Kuechly has moved from the inside to the outside (good news because he needs to be on the field as much as possible) and Shinkie has been named the stater (although Spaz says he will be playing both QBs).

HD gives us a nice little look into the game vs FSU this weekend.

Florida State (2-2) at Boston College (3-1) (ABC/ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The series: FSU leads, 4-3-0.

Last time: Boston College won, 27-17, in 2008.

At stake: Florida State’s direction this season. Which way are the Noles going to go, down or up? How will they respond to the loss to South Florida? BC proved it can overcome some of its deficiencies by playing smart, disciplined football and isn’t going to back down with College GameDay in the house to honor Mark Herzlich. If FSU loses for the third time this season, things could come unraveled in Tallahassee. And considering the way both teams played last week, anything is possible.

Of note: FSU defensive back Greg Reid ranks 18th nationally in punt returns averaging 15.7 per return. He also has averaged 25.8 yards on 10 kickoff returns and has returned an interception for a score. BC quarterback Dave Shinskie became the first Eagles quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in a single game since Matt Ryan did it against Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28, 2007.

Today we just found out, Mark Herzlich is 99% cancer free! How great is that! Keep up the good fight Mark, we are all pulling for you!

Go Eagles!

Gameday to BC!

The Gameday Crew is actually "coming to your city," and I am pumped! Should be a great day of tailgating, fun and football at Chestnut Hill! Be there early, Bring your signs!!! Go Eagles!

Quick Thoughts: BC holds off Wake in OT

Just got back from the game and all I can say is WOW! The Eagles had a 24-10 lead with 5 minutes left and they let Wake come back an tie it with some great play by Riley Skinner. Then the Eagles got the ball to start the OT and were held to a FG. When Wake got the ball the got two big plays right away of 11 and 9 yards to get the ball down to BC 3 yard line. That is where things changed, BC packed the box, forced Skinner out of the pocket and stripped him. Wes Davis then recovered the fumble and the Eagles held on!!!

Quick Thoughts:
-Let me start my thoughts off by saying the crowd was awesome. It was parents weekend and Alumni was packed, there were a few seats in the upper corner of the upper deck in the Endzones but thats it. The place was full. Not only that but they made a lot of noise, especially in overtime when the defense needed it. It was the best crowd I have experienced in a while!
-Shikie played pretty well. He struggled with overthrowing receivers in the first half, but settled down and played very well after. He had a touchdown taken off the board because of a dumb holding penalty by Matt Tennant.
-Defensive Line was AWFUL. They played awful in EVERY ASPECT of the game. Couldn't stop the run for the life of them, couldn't get any pressure on the cornerback which allowed Wake to comeback in the 4th. The need to play 10 times better if we want to have a chance again FSU.
-Mike McLaughlin was back but you could tell he was very rusty. He made a few tackles, but he didn't have that "I'm Mike McLaughlin and I'm going to rip your head off with this tackle" attitude and was a little slow. I suspect this will get better with time.
-The Offensive line had a very good first 3 quarters, but was very bad when we needed them in the 4th quarter and OT. They were getting stood up by a much smaller Wake Forest defensive line and its disheartening to see them playing this bad.
-Luke Keuchly needs to be on the field more. I don't care if BC needs to switch to a 3-4 to get him on the field with Mike McLaughlin. The kid is too good to be sitting on the sidelines.
-The Kicking game was very good. Apo hit all of his kicks. Quigley did very good on Punts and he was also kicking the ball off to the endzone every time. Much improved and it is a very good thing.

All in all, a win is a win and this was an important ACC win. The Eagles get FSU next week and it will be another huge game. If they can keep improving they have a chance to win the game and thats all that you can ask. Lets just hope the fans are as good next week as they were this week because we are going to need them!

GO EAGLES!

Week 4 Pick 5

Sorry guys, have been extra busy with my classwork this week so I haven't been able to update until now but I wouldn't miss out on a chance to make my weekly picks! So lets take a look at how I did last week:
ACC: 1-4
National: 3-1-1

Once again I was brutal in the ACC, so pick the opposite of what I pick. But I finally made some progress in the national scene!Overall I am:
ACC: 3-12
National: 5-8-2

So lets take a look at my picks for this week, so you can figure out who NOT to pick.

All Odds taken from USA Today's NCAA Football Odds:
ACC Games (my picks in bold)
South Florida at Florida State -14
North Carolina at Georgia Tech -2.5
Wake Forest -2.5 at Boston College
TCU at Clemson -3
Miami -2 at Virginia Tech

National Games (my picks in bold)
California -7 at Oregon
Fresno State at Cincinnati -15
Iowa at Penn State -10
Washington at Stanford -7
Notre Dame -8.5 at Purdue

These you have it. Come back tomorrow for my Knowing your Enemy series and a preview! Go Eagles!

Eagle Links: 9/16

Lets take a quick look at whats going on in the BC world today:

The Globe is a little behind on the rest of the BC world reporting the Eagles landed Shakim Phillips. Hey, atleast they reported it!

The Heights headline "The real fun starts Saturday" is just PERFECT! I couldn't have said it any better. I cannot wait for the Eagles to show they can play a little bit.

Not BC related but the Yankees may just be hosting a bowl game. Hey who knows it may open up the path to more Cold Weather bowl games....not!

Usually Woman's Soccer is something that gets overlooked but not this time. This Friday the Eagles Woman's Soccer team will be holding a fundraiser for ALS. Always a good cause!

ATL has a nice little preview and questionnaire with a guest Clemson Blogger. You would never guess this, but once again the lack of BC speed comes up (rollseyes).

Here is a short little preview from the College Gameday guys:


I will be back tomorrow with my predictions and I will also be taking an in-depth look at the Clemson Tigers!

Eagle Links: 9/15

Its been a few days since the Eagles improved to 2-0 on the young season by beating the Kent State Gold Flashes and there have been some good articles on the team and some other news. Here goes it:

The Boston College Marketing did something right for the 1st time in a long while. They started a Game Experience video series and it is a great look at some of the behind the scenes stuff that happens on Gameday. Definitely something I will look out for after each game.

BC found out the kickoff time for the Wake game was at 2 PM EST, but they also found out some bad news for that. They game will only be on ESPN360.com meaning many BC fans will be unable to watch for the third time in four weeks. ATLEagle.com takes a look at the downside of ESPN360 on the blog.

Today the Eagles got a huge announcement from one of their 2010 Targets. Shakim Phillis big Wide Receiver out of New Jersey committed to the Eagles. Shakim is Rivals.com 37th overall ranked recruit and the 5th best Wide Receiver recruit. If he signs a LOI in the Fall this is huge for BC.

The Globe actually thinks BC should stick with 2 quarterbacks. I for one don't, but hey you can't argue with results thus far.

Clemson put out some really great notes on the BC-Clemson game. Might be the biggest game of the year for these two schools.

BC at Notre Dame this year is actually a very pricey ticket due to the fact that so many people care about the game. But wait I thought Notre Dame hated everything that goes along with BC?? Oh wait, they just hate getting beat by the Eagles.

BC released their Clemson Depth Chart and Nathan Richman has taken the Starting Left Guard spot from Emmett Cleary. Hopefully this helps the line pick up their mediocre play thus far.

The #10 Ranked and undefeated BC field hockey team improved to 6-0 with a 7-1 win over Monmouth. The Eagles get Maryland, the defending national champion on Sunday in Newton.

The #10 Woman's team also improved to 6-0 with a 4-0 win over Long Beach State.

The Men's soccer team looks to get back on the right track after beating Fairfield this afternoon.

Go Eagles!

ACC had a decent day

After the brutal week the ACC had last weekend, the ACC had a better weekend this weekend, albeit you couldn't get much worse. The ACC for the most part took care of business this week.

UNC won an ugly game 12-10 vs. UConn with a last minute safety on a holding call in the end zone.
Wake Forest turned things around this week coming from behind to beat Stanford 24-17.
Duke found its offense at took out Army 35-19.
Virginia Tech absolutely smoked Marshall 52-10.
BC of course beat Kent State 34-7.
Florida State almost suffered one of the biggest upsets this century being down 9-7 to Jacksonville State with under a minute left but they ended up winning 19-9.
Maryland also alomst suffered a big upset against another FCS team but wound up beating James Madison 38-35 in OT.
NC State pounded FCS Murray State 65-7.

The only blemish on the ACC's record this week was Virginia losing again 30-14, although this team it was expects against TCU.

Many of the games may not have been pretty but you can't argue with the fact that the ACC going 8-1 this weekend wasn't an improvement after the debacle last weekend.

Eagle Links 9/8

Sorry for the minor impasse in posting, I was busy enjoying the rest of my labor day weekend after the huge win on Saturday. Back in the full swing of classes and such (and it sucks but you just gotta push through). But there were some good things being said about BC and its potential (because that's all we can comment on after playing an opponent like Northeastern.

Unlike some people, Scout.com actually has a going to a bowl (albeit the EagleBank bowl in DC) vs. Army in their Week 1 bowl projections. Hey, one step at a time.

Kent State's QB is very confident about beating BC next week. He is also very ignorant about the defense at the Heights, remember its not about who you lose, its about who you bring in to replace those losses. Good to see the Kent State coach showing some respect though.

Blaudshun thinks BC might actually be a contender again? Really, I could of swore this was the guy who thought BC wouldn't win a game and should move back to the ACC. Maybe he is being forced to change his tone?

HD also had some nice things to say about BC for a change. We all love to hate on her a lot but she is finally showing some respect to what happens here at BC.

Both QBs will be playing against Kent State and possibly after that. Spaz sticks with the old motto of "If it ain't broke." Hey, I can't decide who was the better QB after last week either.

Some BC fans on USCHO.com fan forums pieced together the BC hockey schedule in its entirety. It may not be perfect but its better than nothing. (Thanks to J.D. whoever you are).

Date Opponent Time Note
Sun 10/04/2009 St. Francis Xavier (ex)
Fri 10/09/2009 US Under-18 Team (ex) 7:00 ET
Sat 10/17/2009 @ Vermont 7:05 ET
Fri 10/23/2009 @ Notre Dame (nc) 7:35 ET
Fri 10/30/2009 Merrimack 7:00 ET
Sun 11/01/2009 @ Merrimack 4:00 ET
Fri 11/06/2009 @ New Hampshire 7:00 ET
Sat 11/07/2009 Northeastern 7:00 ET
Sat 11/14/2009 Vermont 7:00 ET
Sun 11/15/2009 Vermont 4:00 ET
Fri 11/20/2009 @ Maine 7:00 ET
Sat 11/21/2009 @ Maine 7:00 ET
Fri 11/27/2009 Clarkson (nc) 4:00 ET
Tue 12/01/2009 Merrimack 7:00 ET
Sat 12/05/2009 @ Boston University 7:00 ET
Wed 12/09/2009 @ Harvard (nc) 7:00 ET
Sat 12/12/2009 @ Providence 7:00 ET
Fri 01/01/2010 vs St. Lawrence (nc) 4:35 MT (1)
Sat 01/02/2010 @ Denver (nc) 7:05 MT (1)
Fri 01/08/2010 vs. Boston University 7:30 ET (2)
Sun 01/10/2010 Providence
Fri 01/15/2010 Maine 7:00 ET
Fri 01/22/2010 Boston University 7:30 ET
Sat 01/23/2010 @ Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Fri 01/29/2010 Providence 7:00 ET
Mon 02/01/2010 vs Harvard (nc) 5:00 ET (3)
Fri 02/05/2010 @ Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Mon 02/08/2010 vs Northeastern/BU (nc) 5:00/8:00 ET (3)
Fri 02/12/2010 @ Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Sat 02/13/2010 Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Fri 02/19/2009 @ Northeastern 7:00 ET
Sat 02/20/2009 Northeastern 7:00 ET
Fri 02/26/2010 Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Sat 02/27/2010 @ Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Fri 03/05/2010 @ New Hampshire 7:00 ET
Sat 03/06/2010 New Hampshire 7:00 ET

(1) - Denver Cup (Denver, CO)
(2) - Fenway
(3) - Beanpot (Boston, MA)

One last thing. I have been invited to blog over at Raycom Sports.com as they are adding a blog nation there this year. You guys should all check it out as it will be me and a few other BC bloggers so it should be great. Here is the link: http://bostoncollege.raycomsports.com/blog/

Gameday!!

Its finally here. Boston College Gameday is upon us and we are going to get to see our Eagles on the field again. The Eagles open up the season with the Northeastern Huskies here at Alumni Stadium. They hope to start the season off well and make some decisions on players at different positions. The Eagles are clearly more talented than Northeastern but here are my keys to the game:

1. Offensive Line must dominate. It is our biggest strength. We have a bunch of monsters there and 2 great running backs and they have to protect an inexperienced quarterback so we need them take control of the game.
2. No turnovers. If BC can keep the ball, their talent level will show and they will take over the game even if they are young. The QBs need to take this part of the game to heart and we can be success.
3. Wide Recievers. They need to cover for the inexperience at QB and make some good catches. They cannont drop the ball and they must get yards after the catch to help our QBs out.

If BC can do those things they should win easily!

GO EAGLES!! GO HERZY!

One Day to Game Day

We are almost there, less than 24 hours away from the 2009 Boston College Football season opener vs. Northeastern. I am glad it is finally here and it couldn't have come fast enough after this brutal offseason the Eagles have had. Amid the firing of our coach, hiring of Coach Spaz, a rash of injuries, having our stud DTs drafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, losing our best player to cancer, the transfer of our only QB with experience and the bringing in of a 25 year old former minor league pitcher to compete for that QB job, the season is FINALLY here. Here are some links to keep you in the loop before the season starts:

HD posted all of the injury reports released by ACC teams for this opening weekend. Not surprisingly none of them come anywhere near the severity of the Eagles one.
For those of you who don't like links:

BOSTON COLLEGE

LB Will Thompson (shoulder) - OUT

LB Mike McLaughlin (Achilles) - OUT

FB James McCluskey (Achilles) - OUT

WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee) - OUT

DT Kaleb Ramsey (ankle) - DOUBTFUL

OT Rich Lapham (neck) - DOUBTFUL

FB Alexander DiSanzo (shoulder) - QUESTIONABLE

QB Dave Shinskie (rib) - PROBABLE

The students will be out in full force tomorrow, not only in their normal bring "gold" superfan shirts but also wearing eye black in honor of Mark Herzlich. I for one can't wait to give Herzy a standing ovation tomorrow but what the students are doing is going to awesome.

TOB and crew laid a HUGE egg on national TV in front of the whole world to open the season. I am disappointed that it makes the ACC look worse but I couldn't feel anymore "pride" in South Carolina for absolutely schooling TOB. Go Gamecocks (for one night anyway).

Great article this morning by Ron Borges about Spaz and him finally getting a real chance to coach the Eagles. I couldn't be happier that a true BC guy like Coach Spaz is actually getting a chance to be a head coach rather than some puppet looking for to boost his resume.

The Eagles got a big boost yesterday when Red-Shirt freshman Alexander DiSanzo was back at practice. He is still listed as questionable (as you can see above) but it is good to see its possible he could play especially due to the lack of depth we have there no with all the injuries.

The Globe actually has a great article on Steve Aponavicius and his legacy of being the fan who made the team to his earning the starting kicking role this year after not even being sure if he would be asked back for a 5th year.

Good article in Colin Larmond's home newspaper about his story and his rise to the top of the depth chart here at BC.

Now we are down to 22 hours and counting and I know Eagle Nation couldn't be more excited because of the tumultuous offseason. GO EAGLES!

Week 1 College Football Picks

Each week I am going to be predicting the results of 5 ACC games and 5 National Games each week. I will keep track of my record and if enough people get involved I would even keep track your your picks and maybe even give out a prize for the winner. But we need some people to play in the comment section below. YOU MUST PICK THE SAME GAMES I PICK OR NONE OF YOUR PICKS WILL COUNT!

All Odds are taken from USA Today's odds page.
ACC Games (My Picks in Bold):
Alabama -5.5 vs. Virginia Tech
Maryland vs. Califorina -21.5
Baylor vs. Wake Forest -2.5
Middle Tennessee State vs. Clemson -20.5
Miami vs. Florida State -3.5

National Games (My Picks in Bold):
Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma -21
Connecticut -3 vs. Ohio
Missouri vs. Illinois -6
Georgia vs. Oklahoma State -5.5
Minnesota -6 vs. Syracuse

There you have it. My week one picks for both 5 ACC games and 5 national games. I will be back next week with the results and some new picks!

Eagle Links: 9/3

Well there is a bunch of other news in the BC world outside of the Jagodzinski news so lets get to it:

Former BC linebacker Robert Francois, unfortunately didn't make the next round of cuts on the Detroit Lions squad. He was released as all NFL teams are trying to get down to the required number of players before the season starts. Its unfortunate but hopefull Ro-Fran uses it as a motivator and plays himself on to another team somewhere.

Former Boston College Defensive Back Mike Mayock has been selected to represent BC in the ACC Championship Game Legends Class. Mayock was an outstanding defensive back here at BC, earning 3rd Team All-American honors his senior year and intercepting 12 passes over his 4 year career at BC. Congrats Mike.

And the injury train continues here at BC. DiSanzo is the newest Eagle on the injury list. DiSanzo, a reshirt freshman, was scheduled to start at weak side linebacker vs. Northeastern is now out. Dan Williams looks to be the likely replacement. Boy BC is lucky to start the year vs. Northeastern.

The Globe has another good piece on all of the uncertainty at many positions going into this year. Writer Mark Blaudschun takes a look at the unaswered Quarterback, Linebacker, Defensive and Offensive line questions. Like I said above, boy is it good to start the year vs. Northeastern.

Anthony Coastonzo has become a rock on the BC Offensive line, starting 28 games in his first 2 seasons here at BC. The Herald takes a look at Castonzo and his growth as a player.

#16 Women's soccer did themselves right, shutting out the BU Terriers 2-0 for their second win of the season.

We will end it with CollegeHoops.net preview of the Basketball team this year. I think they are seriously under estimating the team this year but who knows. Not to mention who would ever accept to go to the CBI?

Join me later today for my Week 1 predictions!

2009 ACC Football Predictions Part 3

(Let me preface this saying, these are preseason predictions, I'm having fun with it. Although VT fans probably hate me now)

Here for the 3rd and final part of my short series taking a look at the ACC and making predictions for this football season. In this editions I am going to take a look at the ACC title game and make a prediction on that. Then I am going to take a look at the bowl eligible teams this year in the ACC and figure out who is going to go to what bowl.

In my two previous parts of this series I predicted the results of the standings in both the Atlantic and Coastal divisions in the ACC. In those I also had two definitive winners in each of those divisions. In the Atlantic I had Florida State finishing 9-3 at a 6-2 clip in the ACC alone at the top and In the Coastal Division I had Virginia Tech at 11-1 with a undefeated season in the ACC and battling to make the National Championship game.

So in my ACC Championship game we would have 2 highly ranked teams playing in the title game. If Florida State wins they could help the ACC in a huge way allowing two ACC teams to get to the BCS but if Virginia Tech would win the game it could send them to the BCS National Championship game, although they would likely knock FSU out of a BCS game. Both would be a great for the ACC but I think having 2 teams in the BCS would be better, as long as they both won. However, My Prediction: Virginia Tech beats Florida State 24-14.


I think Virignia Tech's win in the ACC will be good enough to get them to the National Title, yes I am calling it now. Now onto the other bowl projections, in my other predictions, I have 9 teams bowl eligible (6-6 or better, unless you have played 2 games vs. D-1AA teams). Here is how I think the teams will go to bowl games after Virginia Tech:
GMAC Bowl - Boston College
EagleBank Bowl - NC State
Emerald Bowl - Wake Forest
Meineke Car Care Bowl - Miami (FL)
Music City Bowl - Clemson
Champs Sports Bowl - Georgia Tech
Gator Bowl - North Carolina
Chick-fil-A Bowl - Florida State

And thats how I think it goes this year in the ACC, an impressive 9 bowl eligible teams, hopefully a 7-2 or 6-3 record in those bowl games with Virginia Tech headlining it with a National Title for our conference!

Come back tomorrow for a breakdown of BC's schedule and my game by game predictions to go along with my Week 1 ACC predictions that I will be doing all year long.

2009 ACC Football Predictions Part 2

Back for part 2 of my three part series where I am taking a look at the ACC and making my predictions on how I think things will fall. In this edition we will be taking a look at the Coastal division and their OOC and Atlantic division opponents and predicting how they will finish this year.

The Coastal Division once again looks to be the better division of the 2, starting the season with 3 ranked teams to the Atlantic Division's 1. Many think that Virginia Tech also has a chance to compete for the National Title and think Georgia Tech and UNC are clear threats to make a BCS bowl. We will have to wait and see but this division looks very strong. Here is a look at the teams in the Coastal and a quick peek at their OOC schedule and the games against the Atlantic teams:
Duke:
OCC Schedule: vs. Richmond, at Army, at #25 Kansas, vs. North Carolina Central
vs. Atlantic: at North Carolina State, vs. Maryland, vs. Wake Forest

Georgia Tech:
OOC Schedule: vs. Jacksonville State, at Mississippi State, at Vanderbilt, vs. #13 Georgia
vs. Atlantic: vs. Clemson, at #18 Flroida State, vs. Wake Forest

Miami (FL):
OOC Schedule: vs. #3 Oklahoma, vs. Florida A&M, at Central Florida, at South Florida
vs. Atlantic: at #18 Florida State, vs. Clemson, at Wake Forest

North Carolina:
OOC Schedule: vs. Citadel, at Connecticut, vs. East Carolina, vs. Georgia Southern
vs. Atlantic: vs. #18 Florida State, at Boston College, at Wake Forest

Virginia:
OOC Schedule: vs. William and Mary, vs. #17 TCU, at Southern Mississippi, vs. Indiana
vs. Atlantic: at Maryland, vs. Boston College, at Clemson

Virginia Tech:
OOC Schedule: vs. #5 Alabama, vs. Marshall, vs. #24 Nebraska, at East Carolina
vs. Atlantic: vs. Boston College, at Maryland, vs. North Carolina State.

Virginia Tech definitely has the hardest OOC playing two ranked opponents and one of the top 5 preseason teams in the nations. While Miami (FL) and North Carolina both probably have the toughest schedules vs. the other half of the conference.

North Carolina has the easiest OOC schedule playing 3 very weak teams and playing a 4th medicore team in Connecticut on the road. Duke probably has the easiest schedule vs. the other half of the conference, while missing the top 2 projected teams on the other half (FSU and Clemson) and only have 1 of 3 games on the road.

Here is how I think each team fares this year and how the standings will look:
Team - Record (ACC Record)
Virginia Tech - 11-1 (8-0)
North Carolina - 9-3 (6-2)
Georgia Tech - 9-3 (5-3)
Miami - 8-4 (4-4)
Virginia - 4-8 (3-5)
Duke - 3-9 (1-7)

So that is how I think this have of the league will do. Come back tomorrow for my bowl projects, the ACC championship game prediction and more!

P.S. Check out the new design on the twitter site. Superfan Gold.

2009 ACC Football Predictions Part 1

Its that time of the year, summer is ending, school is starting up again but most importantly another year of ACC football is starting up again. Teams are finishing up practice and are now gameplanning for their first game. The ACC as a whole is looking to prove that it is once again one of the top conferences in the NCAA and that is can compete with the SEC, the Big XII, the Big Ten and the Pac-10 for the national title. The ACC looks to have some strong teams this year that can do just that, with Virginia Tech starting the year off at #7 overall in the polls, Georgia Tech at #15, Florida State at #18 and North Carolina at #21 overall. In this edition, we are going to take a look at the Atlantic division and how I think it will pan out.

The Atlantic Division continues to look as close as ever. The past two years the top teams have finished a game or less apart and it looks to be the same again this year. Here is a look at the teams in the Atlantic and a quick peak at their OOC schedule and the games against the Coastal teams:

Boston College:
OOC Schedule: vs. Northeastern, vs. Kent State, at #23 Notre Dame, vs. Central Michigan
vs. Coastal: at #7 Virginia Tech, at Virginia, vs. #21 North Carolina

Clemson:
OOC Schedule: vs. Middle Tennessee State, vs. #17 TCU, vs. Coastal Carolina, at South Carolina
vs. Coastal: at #15 Georgia Tech, at Miami (FL), vs. Virginia

Florida State:
OOC Schedule: vs. Jacksonville State, at #20 BYU, vs. South Florida, at #1 Florida
vs. Coastal: vs. Miami (FL), vs. #15 Georgia Tech, at #21 North Carolina

Maryland:
OOC Schedule: at #12 California, vs. James Madison, vs. Middle Tennessee State, vs. Rutgers
vs. Coastal: vs. Virginia, at Duke, vs. #7 Virginia Tech

North Carolina State:
OOC Schedule: vs. South Carolina, vs. Murray State, vs. Gardner-Webb, vs. Pittsburgh
vs. Coastal: vs. Duke, at #7 Virginia Tech, vs. #21 North Carolina

Wake Forest:
OOC Schedule: vs. Baylor, vs. Stanford, vs. Elon, at Navy
vs. Coastal: vs. Miami (FL), at #15 Georgia Tech, at Duke

Wake Forest has the easiest schedule by far facing only 2 ranked teams (only one on the road) and having the weakest Non-Conference schedule.

Florida State has by far the hardest schedule in this half of the conference. They play 2 ranked teams in Non-Conference play (one on the road) and they have to play 2 out of the 3 ranked teams in the other half of the conference.

Here is how I think each team fares this year and how the standings will look:
Team - Record (ACC Record)
Florida State - 9-3 (6-2)
Clemson - 8-4 (5-3)
Wake Forest - 8-4 (4-4)
NC State - 7-5 (4-4)
Boston College - 6-6 (3-5)
Maryland - 3-9 (2-6)

There you have it, the Atlantic division in my view. Florida State definitely looks to be the strongest team this year. Let me tell you this too, I will be the happiest man in the world if BC proves me wrong but this is just how I see it right now.

Weekend BC Stuff

Well I got my season tickets in the mail last week, and with those came an offer for two free tickets to either the Northeastern Game, the Kent State game or the Central Michigan Game. It was 2 free tickets so I was obviously going to take them up on that offer even though the games were nothing special. But the thing you guys will probably find weird is that I chose the Northeastern game. So let me explain why, well I won't be able to go to the Kent State game because I am playing in a charity golf tournament for a friends fallen brother so my sister will have to take those tickets. Since I was really getting these tickets so I could bring my cousin to a game I realized he would be going to boot camp at the time of the Central Michigan game, so even though it was the best game, it probably wasn't the best game for me.

Okay, back on track:
There is a good article on the BC secondary, where the players feel they are being overlooked and doubted while they believe they will be very good. I believe in the players too.

Eagle All Access found a great video on Joe Haden Jr. training his kids Joe (Florida) and Josh (BC) (and his other one Jordan (committed to Florida). Definitely worthy of a watch, very interesting video.

Mike Farrell of EagleAction gives us a list (on a paid message board so I have no link for you) of the 4 true freshmen who are definitely going to redshirt this year:

Dillon Quinn (which is a surprise, could he move to OT where BC appears very thin down the line?), Sterlin Phifer (started strong but was easily passed by Finch), Andre Lawrence and Jake Sinkovec. Apparently everyone else will play this year or at least start the year with a chance to play and will dress for home games.

BC field hockey (#14 in the naion) got off to a 2-0 start beating Vermont 3-0 and smoking William and Mary 7-2.

Decent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about Jesse Tuggle preparing his some for the spot light of him profile college football and the NFL.

I will be back later today with my ACC football previews.

Eagle Links: 6/7

First off let me say this: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (That is why I am so late at doing this)! The big two zero. One more year until the greatest age that was ever created! Alright on to BC sports.

First of all Bill over at Eagle in Atlanta has some very cool pictures from Matt Ryan's football camp down in Atlanta. Go check it out!

There is a nice article in the Metro West Daily News from last night about Billy Flutie and his attitude about him maybe playing QB or staying at Wide Receiver. He does have a good attitude about the position.

Some nice praise in little snippet on an ESPN blog about our future QB Joe Boisture. Who we have learned from Rivals.com is going to be graduating early and coming to BC to play in Spring Ball. Which is huge for us especially with all the unknowns at the QB position. Its too bad he wasn't a year older.

BC's marching band has been added to NCAA Football '10! I know all you band junkies will love this. Now can they do it on the ice?

According to Scout.com BC has received commitment from a kid who left high school in 2003 to play in the Minors for baseball but it never worked out. David Shinskie supposedly has a big arm and since he is 24 he must have a good head on his shoulders. Not much risk here especially with our QB problems.

Off to pre-order NCAA Football '10. The BC band did it for me!