Go Forth, and Heckle The Hecklers (Updated with 50% More Heckling)

Care of Joe Ovies over at 850 AM THEE Blog ...


And cgb over at College Game Balls takes it a step further ...


Finally, Gobbler Country's F4H pulls out this very obscure reference.

Headlines: A Bowl Team With No Home?

Brian:  ATL gives us this link from the Mobile Press-Register about how the GMAC Bowl - the newest edition to the ACC bowl lineup - would prefer a southern team like Florida State, Georgia Tech or Miami over Boston College.  That didn't take long, now did it?

"So it would stand to reason that if a Florida State, Georgia Tech or Miami were in the mix for one of the ACC's later slots, those teams might be more likely to visit Mobile. It makes sense that more fans would make the trip to Mobile from Tallahassee as opposed to supporters from Boston College. Particularly in these tough economic times, that kind of consideration is going to become increasingly important."

Cue Stewie: 

Say what? I guess beggers can be choosers. Tell the GMAC Bowl to get in line as the bias of ACC bowl games not selecting BC is certainly well documented:

• Chick-Fil-A nee Peach Bowl - Passed over Matt Ryan and the ACCCG runner-up Eagles in 2007 (10-3, 6-2 ACC) for a Clemson team (9-3, 5-3) that BC beat in Death Valley
  
• Gator Bowl - Jacksonville will never select BC after getting burned with the 2007 ACC Championship game attendance
  
• Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - Last year's bowl between BC and Vanderbilt generated only $9.97 million for the local economy, down nearly $20 mil year over year.  Even though the bowl went with the local team, this shortfall can obviously be attributed to the fact that BC doesn't travel
  

If I remember correctly, the H-Bowl didn't like us very much either.  Add to this the natural geographic biases of the Champs Sports Bowl (a Florida ACC team), the Meineke Car Care Bowl (a North Carolina team) and the EagleBank Bowl (Maryland / Virginia), and BC is certainly not feeling the love.  

Jeff, short of Robert Kraft and the Gillette Company getting together and creating the Gillette Shaving Cream Bowl at Foxboro, will BC ever be embraced by any of these ACC bowls?  Or is this simply a losing battle?

Jeff:  Worrying about this is pointless because it is a losing battle.  Unless a bowl game is played in Foxboro or the Meadowlands, BC is going to be the furthest ACC team from the site and still have one of the smallest student bodies / alumni base.  Bowls don't get excited about Wake Forest either but at least the Deacons are more centrally located and more students could pile into a van to catch a bowl game in places like Jacksonville, Atlanta or Orlando.

This is not a problem specific to the ACC.  In the SEC, a bowl could be thinking it might get Georgia or Tennessee and end up being forced to select Vanderbilt.  In the Big Ten you can have a shot at Penn State, Ohio State or Michigan and end up with Northwestern.

I was happy with the turnout in Orlando two years ago but that was partially because of people like you and me who went to that game but did not go to Charlotte the year before or to Nashville last year.  If the right matchup presents itself BC will travel well but never as well as a school located within a few hundred miles of the site or as well as Clemson or Virginia Tech.

Brian:  You couldn't miss the Champs Sports Bowl in 2007 because BC fans simply didn't want that season to end.  Quite frankly, I don't blame BC fans for not wanting to travel to Nashville last season for the bowl against a 6-6 Vanderbilt team.  Unfortunately for BC, it's a perpetual downward spiral when it comes to bowl selection ...

1. Get pitted against a crappy opponent in an inconvenient location between Christmas and New Year's.  
   
2. BC fans don't show up because they feel the team got slighted.  
   
3. This perpetuates the "BC doesn't travel well myth" and the cycle continues.
   

The good news is that the ACC contract with the GMAC Bowl is only for one year.  Maybe the ACC can strike a deal with a bowl game in ACC territory going forward.  Humble suggestions: the new Orlando Bowl for the Cure, Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl.  Even the Pizza (Papa John's) Bowl in Birmingham is relatively closer to the rest of the ACC than Mobile, Alabama.

Also, I realize that Florida State and Miami aren't the programs that they were in the late 1990s, but the GMAC Bowl is dreaming if they think teams like Florida State and Miami will still be available this season after the Gator Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl pick their teams. The only way those teams will fall to this bowl is if the eight bowls above them in the ACC pecking order are forced to pick a program like BC, Wake Forest or Virginia.

Weekend Out, Disrespect Edition

Brian: I'm sensing a theme here ...

Yesterday, it was State fans drinking the JPG Kool-Aid, today it is ESPN's HD's early ACC bowl projections:

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida State
Gator Bowl: NC State
Champs Sports Bowl: Miami
Music City Bowl: Georgia Tech
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Clemson
Emerald Bowl: North Carolina
EagleBank Bowl: Maryland
GMAC Bowl: Wake Forest

At-large: Boston College

Out: Virginia, Duke

If Boston College is going to be the 10th ACC bowl-eligible team next season, HD must think we are going 6-6 and finishing last in the Atlantic Division. My guess as to what she's thinking? 3-1 out of conference and 3-5 in the ACC.

(Note to HD: ACC is NOT getting 10 teams bowl eligible again, especially since NC State, North Carolina and Duke all have to get to 7 wins since they are playing not 1, but 2 I-AA cupcakes this season.)

Look, I have just as many reservations about BC's 2009 season as the next Eagles fan. However, it simply amazes me how sports writers can make the same mistake about BC year-in and year-out and offer only mild platitudes of apology about how they were wrong about the Eagles when it is all said and done.

Keep doubling down on shorting BC football, naysayers. One of these seasons you'll finally be right.

As always, thanks to BC Mike for the Kool Aid. Have a good weekend. Back Monday.

Where's the Hype for the East Regionals? and the Big Finish

Brian: The East regional semifinals were played last night at the Garden, and the Big East cleaned up like it was old times with Pittsburgh and Villanova advancing to the Regional finals. The Globe wrote yesterday about how buzz around town was, shall we say, lacking. The response from most interviewed was "What? What tournament?" Can BC and college sports ever win in Boston?

Jeff: I clued you into this yesterday when it was reported on ESPN radio that there was no buzz in Boston for the regional which began there last night. Going to a regional or a conference tournament or a conference championship games is something that you and I have both had the opportunity to do and half the fun of it is not going to the actual game(s) but going out in the city before and after the game and talking basketball/football with fellow fans and alum along with opposing fans and alum. In Boston the regional is fallen victim to the same lack of hype/covereage that BC sports get every season and will conitnue to get as long as the Celtics and Red Sox don't get relocated.

Brian: Still, the Garden looked packed and the BC logo on the court looked particularly nice. We should play some games at the Garden during the year. I have to think the economy is somewhat to blame here too. As we know, the Georgia Dome wasn't filled to capacity for the ACC Tournament. And much like the ACC Tournament semifinals were far better attended than the quarterfinals (since Duke and North Carolina were both playing on Saturday), I would expect the Regional final to be much more hyped and better attended given that former Big East rivals Pittsburgh and Villanova will meet in the final. At least that is probably the best possible Regional final matchup for the city and the Garden (as opposed to a Duke-Xavier final).


Big Finish

Brian: It's been reported that DeFilippo is talking to Villanova AD Vince Nicastro to try to renew the Big East basketball rivalry with the Wildcats. If you can schedule any 3 former Big East foes to renew a rivalry and beef up our out of conference strength of schedule, who you got?

Jeff: Villanova is at the top of the list because its one of those schools that many BC applicants have also applied to with Georgetown being another. Notre Dame would be my third choice and this is mainly because we know that Syracuse and UConn will never schedule us as long as their current coaches are in place.


Jeff: Baseball home opener this weekend against No. 20 Clemson. The two teams are 1, 2 in the ACC Atlantic Standings. After a disappointing midweek loss to Holy Cross, can the Eagles take the series?

Brian: I only have the Eagles winning 1 of 3 this weekend. But with the weekend rotation of JB MacDonald, John Leonard and Mike Dennhardt, wouldn't be surprised if we take 2 or even sweep this weekend.


Brian: More hating on the Eagles out of Raleigh. My boy takes a look at the unbalanced ACC schedule and has this to say about the Eagles, who ranked 11 of 12 as far as having the toughest ACC conference schedule: "Of course, like Virginia in 2006 and Virginia Tech in 2007 — two other teams that benefited greatly from weaker ACC schedules — the Eagles were exposed quickly in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to USC." Clemson, Wake Forest and Florida State had nearly as easy ACC schedules this year, finishing 10th, 9th and 8th, respectively, on that list. I guess those teams weren't exposed in the NCAAs though, right?

Jeff: Ha. ACC had a rough first round that has nothing to do with unbalanced schedule this year. BC did beat Duke and North Carolina so BC was just a rare bird this year.


Jeff: Liberty college basketball star Seth Curry is transferring. It is rumored that he is looking at an ACC school to transfer to. Seth and Stephen's dad, former NBA star Dell Curry, played for Virginia Tech. Any chance Skinner goes after Curry and the Eagles land the point guard?

Brian: 0 percent chance. No way. The Currys have ties to Virginia, so if it's not Virginia Tech or Virginia, I'd imagine we are talking about one of the Carolina schools or even Maryland. He'll stay close to home, and it makes too much sense to replace Tyrese Rice with Curry.


Brian: BC was voted one of the top 10 most popular basketball programs in the country by a recent Harris Interactive poll. They are joking, right?

Jeff: What? Has to be a joke. Either that or expect a lot more games to be on ESPN next year.


Jeff: Brian, you still like Gonzaga to beat North Carolina tonight now that Lawson has played a game on his overhyped toe?

Brian: I do. Of the four teams to beat the Heels this year, two of the four run a version of the Flex offense (Maryland and Boston College). Gonzaga also runs the Flex, and if Austin Daye can get going, the Zags can pull off the upset.


Brian: Last one, SI Swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker sat down with Dan Patrick who asked her if she'd like to be the Ashley Judd of North Carolina. She said she would be honored. We can't let this stand, Jeff. To one-up our ACC brethren, who you recruiting to be the Ashley Judd of Boston College?

Jeff: Elizabeth Hasselbeck I suppose.

Brian: Weak. That's all you got? A co-host of The View? How about recruiting another SI Swimsuit model. Bar Refaeli?

Good Cop/Bad Cop: Eagles Beat Noles

Today we play a game of good cop / bad cop and discuss the latest and greatest in Boston College basketball.

Let's get our first suspect ...


Suspect #1 - The Seminoles losing Wednesday night's game (as opposed to the Eagles winning the game)?

Brian as Good Cop: I will play the good cop on this one. Florida State ended up committing 18 turnovers on the night. Orlando Sentinel FSU blogger Andrew Carter calls this "self inflicted wounds" on the part of the Seminoles. Florida State's Toney Douglas played one of his worse games of the season (4 turnovers, 3 fouls despite his team-leading 19 points). Early on in the game, somewhere around 9-4 Seminoles ... and which quickly ballooned to 16-4 Seminoles ... I wrote you an quick email with the subject "We are going to lose this game and it is going to be ugly." The Eagles absolutely did not belong in the game in the first half but due to the slew of FSU mistakes, went into the half trailing by 1. A better team would have put the Eagles away early and led the Eagles by 10-15 at half. Instead, the Noles left the door open and the Eagles took advantage.

Jeff as Bad Cop: How can you say Douglas had a bad night scoring 19 when Rice only scored 11. Douglas clearly won the battle of the superstars. Turnovers are either given up or forced, and after the first ten minutes of the game the Eagles played with a lot of intensity and forced many of those turnovers rather than them simply just being given up. And finally, you need to make shots in order to win the game and down the stretch the Eagles did just enough of that including Rice's big 3 to put them up 4 with 20 seconds to play.


Suspect #2 - Florida State as a tournament lock?

Brian as Bad Cop: FSU is now 21-7, 8-5 in conference with three regular season games left to play. The Seminoles have an impressive RPI but a not so great SOS. At first glance, you would think they are a tournament lock at this point regardless of the team's setback in Chestnut Hill. But not so fast, my friends. I'm here to tell you the boys from Tallahassee still have work left to do. FSU has three regular season games left - at home vs. Clemson, on the road in Durham and finish at home against Virginia Tech. Assuming the Seminoles' kenpom predictor to be correct for a second, FSU will lose to both Clemson and Duke but beat Virginia Tech in the regular season finale. 1-2 in their last 3 games gets them to 9-7 in the ACC and in the tournament. But let's say that FSU drops to the Hokies as well? That would make FSU 0-4 in their last 4 and drop them all the way to 8-8 in the ACC. This is starting to smell of a bubble team. Then, if the Noles draw a Maryland or an NC State in the first round of the ACC Tournament, this becomes virtually a must-win. So are the Noles a lock? No. Given the slight chance that they finish the season on a five game skid, this team will have to beat the Hokies or win their first round tournament game, otherwise the Seminoles could be N. I. T.ing it.

Jeff as Good Cop: Since really no one is a lock right now with 3 conference games yet to play and conference tournaments, FSU is the closest thing there is. All FSU needs to do is either win one of their remaining regular season games or win 2 games in the ACC tournament which this team is very capable of doing. The Eagles and FSU are both sitting with 8 conference wins and if the tournament started today, the Seminoles would get the higher seed.


Suspect #3 - Poor Conte Forum attendance for the next-to-last home game against a Top 25 opponent?

Brian as Good Cop: Hard to do, but I will give it a shot anyway. I will play the good cop on this one. Last night's game against No. 23 Florida State was attended by only 4,968 fans. Back of the envelope math tells me that Conte was only about 58% packed last night. Sounds pretty terrible at first, but this is certainly understandable. Last night's game had a lot of factors working against it ... 1) it was a 9:00pm tip 2) the last week before spring break 3) exam week and 4) it was Florida State and we weren't playing football. Even though Florida State came into Conte Forum as a ranked opponent, I'll bet most students and casual Superfans didn't even know that fact. Florida State is a football school, not a basketball school. With no real basketball history and a lack of name brand college hoops recognition, students would rather get better grades on their exams than watch another game where Tyrese Rice doesn't score a point in the first half. Plus it's not like students are going to storm the court after the win, even if we beat FSU on a buzzer beater. Finally, students are showing their opposition to GDF's dumb student ticket policies (half-season ticket plans) by not attending the games.

Jeff as Bad Cop: Florida State is a football team and nothing to get excited about when it comes to basketball, the economy still sucks, and a 9:00 Tuesday night game means you are not getting home until midnight or later, but c'mon people, where are ya!? This poor team deserves better support than they have gotten at home this season. The first few games following the UNC victory had good attendance but then attendance has slacked off again outside the Duke game. BC fans need to come out and take advantage of their chances to watch some great ACC basketball action and the student attendance is the most disappointing of all since they should be least bothered by the 9:00 pm start.


Suspect #4 - Joe Trapani as this year's team MVP?

Jeff as Bad Cop: Is this question a joke? Have we forgotten that Tyrese Rice is a member of this team. MVP doesn't just mean guy who scores the most points or guy who plays the most minutes - even though Rice would be MVP is that were the criteria averaging 17.5ppg in 33.1 min. Rice is our team MVP because he is our team leader and has taken all those Sophomores we've had and helped to turn them into decent players and people. He is also our team MVP because he is the man on the floor that the opposition has to worry about the most and sometime's throw 2 defenders at opening up shots for others like your boy Joe. Finally, Joe is in no way the team MVP because he threw away an inbounds pass late against FSU nearly costing us the game.

Brian as Good Cop: Since he's my boy, I will play the good cop. Joe Trapani is this year's team MVP. He's averaging 14.1 points per game, more than anyone other than Rice (17.5). He leads the team in rebounds (6.6 per game) and blocks (1.0 per game). He is the second best three-point shooter (.369) and free throw shooter (.778) of our starting five. Not to mention, he is forced to make up for our lack of height when Southern gets in foul trouble. At this point, this is where Raj leaves a comment about how Trapani hasn't hit a clutch shot or anything. But last time I checked, you didn't have to hit a clutch shot to be the most valuable player on your team. With Trapani, you don't have to worry about him getting shut out of the scoring column in the first half (like Rice), and he doesn't decide to have horrible games against good Top 25 competition (see: Rakim Sanders vs. Wake x2). Just how much more consistent has Trapani been compared to Sanders? Looking at both of their individual game lines, Sanders scored less than 10 points in 11 games this season compared to only 6 games for Trapani.

Simply, without Trapani, this team would have only marginally improved from last season's 14-17 record.


Suspect #5 - ACC ass clowns that work for a certain NC newspaper campaigning for the ACC to contract back down to 10 teams

Brian as Good Cop: To everyone's surprise, I will play the good cop on this one and go along with this idea. Sure, let's pair down the ACC back to 10 teams so Coach K, ACC sportswriters and others of their ilk can stop waxing poetic about the beauty of the round-robin basketball schedule. But why would you get rid of BC and Miami? Well, forget Miami for a second, why would you want to get rid of BC? In our four years in the league, BC has only posted the third best record in ACC play behind only Duke and North Carolina. But apparently, we still aren't a good enough "fit" for the conference since we are a small, Northeast school. And football? Ha. Without BC football the last four years, the ACC is Conference-USA, or worse yet, the MAC. So let's play nice and go with this idea of trimming the ACC back down to 10 teams. The question is, however, which 2 teams to contract?

You keep Virginia Tech because, as much as it pains me to say, they have been the flagship football program for the conference post expansion (and meh in basketball). You can't contract North Carolina or Duke because even though their football programs are mediocre / suck, respectively, their hoops are first-rate. Florida State and Miami (FL) have to be great in football again at some point, right? ... Right? Georgia Tech and Wake Forest have more than held their own in football since the Great Expansion of 2005. You keep Clemson around for the comedic value of the annual collapse of their overhyped football teams (and who would have figured?! suddenly have a decent hoops team). And Maryland, while irrelevant in football, at least have had recent success on the hardwood. So all signs seem to point to Virginia and NC State as the ACC's Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals. Honestly, what have either of these teams done post 2005?

Virginia had one great season in hoops and football two years ago, but otherwise has gone 7-9, 5-11 and 3-9 (this season) in basketball. They don't make much noise in the ACC Coastal in football, playing second fiddle to Tech in the state. While UVA is great for the conference in other sports, for the ones that count, the Cavaliers are easily forgettable.

And don't get me started on NC State. Complete this sample SAT analogy. Duke : ACC Coastal :: _________ : ACC Atlantic. If you guessed NC State football, you'd be correct! NC State would like to thank their Tobacco Road buddies over in Durham for diverting attention away from their horrible football seasons since 2005. 3-5 ... 2-6 ... 3-5 ... 4-4. 4-4 in their second year under TOB. Ooo! Progress.

For a large state school that underachieves in college football and basketball and likes to poke fun at Boston College, you bring basically nothing to the table in football or basketball. Get out of my conference and go join Conference USA. You can set up a nice, little in-state rivalry with ECU.

So go ahead, ACC purists. Contract away. But why don't you go ahead and contract away teams that have actually been irrelevant in the post-expansion ACC rather than teams that don't fit your little North Carolina-centered basketball conference?

Jeff as Bad Cop: ACC purist? I understand the term baseball purist but how can anyone be an ACC purist? It wasn't too long ago that the conference was born(1956) and then even more recently Florida State was was added in 1991. There are no retired men sitting around talking about how their fathers took them to ACC games as a child since their fathers had taken them as a child so how can we even have these purists and historians? Lastly, why would they contract to ten teams since the ACC started as 8 teams, lost South Carolina to become 7, gained Georgia Tech to become 8 again, and finally added FSU to become 9. The ACC has had a varied membership over the years but never ever was it a ten team conference.

Happy Time, Preseason Blogpoll Roundtable Wrap-Up and TV Picks

Only two days left! It's Brandon Robinson day.

College football is back. Get happy Eagles! If you need any other reason to be happy, well then I don't have much to say to you.


Happy College Football Season! Let's put a nice little bow around our preseason coverage with a little blogpoll roundtable wrap-up.

A much better blog than ours, Hey Jenny Slater, compiled the responses to the preseason blogpoll roundtable. Check it out.

Wrap-up notes:

Apparently the Virginia blog From Ol' Virginia also thinks that UVA is the Czech Republic. Two Czech Republics in the same conference? Blasphemy.

From Ol' Virginia:

We are the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is a beautiful country, or so I'm led to believe because I've never been there. People always say so. They say that a lot about Charlottesville too. Like the CR, that's just about all they say, most of the time.

We also received the "ballsiest pick of the preseason roundtable" predicting that the TCU Horned Frogs will upset Oklahoma. Also, turns out we ranked Ohio State the lowest of any of the 78 participating blogs in the blogpoll at #8. Sorry, Coach Tressel.


Happy Trails to the legitimacy of the BC bowl winning streak in the eyes of ESPN talking heads. Anyone else catch Lou Holtz throw Boston College's bowl winning streak under the bus yesterday on ESPN2's College Football Live? And then watch Mark May throw Notre Dame under the bus?

From College Football Live:

Lou Holtz: Yeah, but let me address the fact that they've won eight straight bowl. But let's be really honest about it. Boston College doesn't really have a great following when they go to bowls. Consequently, they usually end up in a bowl game which is a step or two lower that they should be. I'm not saying against their opponent, but instead of playing a major team maybe from the ACC, etc. they end up playing a non-BCS school. And that makes an awfully big difference. Everybody talks about how Notre Dame hasn't won a bowl game. YOU GO LOOK AT WHO THEY PLAY!

Mark May: ... at least they win their bowl games.

Couple things. First, old man Holtz momentarily either forgets that BC plays in the ACC or can't remember how bowls are set up such that teams don't play teams from their same conference.

Second, while there is a shred of truth in the fact that we have beaten up on some non-BCS conference opponents in our eight bowl wins, we have also played some BCS conference teams. Arizona State in 2000, Georgia in 2001, North Carolina in 2004 and Michigan State last year. Also, we went up to Boise and beat a good Boise State team in a virtual home game for the Broncos. Not to mention that Boise State team went on to go 13-0 the following season.

Honestly, Coach Holtz, if you are going to pick on our bowl winning streak, you could just as easily pick on Utah's 7-game bowl winning streak. Sure, they may have won a BCS bowl, but that was against Pittsburgh. And Urban Meyer isn't walking through that door.


TV Picks

Brian: Jeff, give the Eagles something to watch tonight.

Jeff: You gotta be watching NC State at South Carolina on ESPN and pulling hard for NC State to give the ACC a nice nationally televised victory. I would also check out Wake Forest at Baylor on FSN if you get it but unfortunately I don't think I get it here.

Brian: I'll be on the road to Cleveland early Friday morning but am going to watch the South Carolina vs. NC State tonight and Red Sox vs. Yankees during the day. It's the last time the Red Sox will visit the old Yankee Stadium. Well, what about the playoffs? I'll be the first to admit the Yankees are cooked this year.

Depending on your local coverage, you might also be able to get a glimpse of our week two ACC opponents Georgia Tech as they host Jacksonville State.

Toss Up: Tackling Topics from DeFilippo's Chat

Today we tackle some of the same questions that were asked of Gene DeFilippo during a live chat session on bceagles.com in a game of BC Interruption Toss Up.

Gene DeFilippo: We have Notre Dame on our schedule for the next two years. With eight tough ACC games and Notre Dame, we don't need any more teams from the BCS leagues. Look at the schedules of others in the ACC, the Big East, or the SEC, and you will see similar names to some of the schools we play out of conference.

Toss Up - How do you like your non-Notre Dame out of conference schedule? Filled with BCS opponents or non-BCS opponents?

Brian: I like what Wake has done with their schedule, scheduling the bottom feeders of the BCS - Ole Miss, Vanderbilt. I think we can look for similar games in the future (with Northwestern already on the future schedule) and at least be open to 1-2 other BCS opponents in a given year. I'm not a big fan of having one BCS conference team on the out of conference schedule (Notre Dame, Syracuse, Northwestern, USC) and then 3 other non-BCS opponents in a given year. Doesn't really mesh with the Jags "anyone, anywhere, any time" philosophy.

Jeff: Assuming Notre Dame stays on the schedule beyond just 2 more years, I like how our schedule shapes up. Syracuse every year is a winnable regional matchup similar to the Wake-Vanderbilt game you mentioned. Meanwhile, USC will be exciting and playing Northwestern is much better than some other options. The only thing missing is UConn. Having UConn on the schedule annually would further indicate ACC supremecy over the Big East and would sell tons of tickets for both universities. If ND doesn't renew with us or we end up with any open dates, Gene needs to pick up the phone and get the Huskies on the books.

Brian: Not again ...

Gene DeFilippo: Syracuse comes onto the schedule in 2010, and we will play them each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Toss Up - BC v. Syracuse football annually after Thanksgiving? Good for the rivalry, or bitter reminder of 2004?

Brian: I am going to say this will only serve as a bitter reminder of 2004. I don't like this idea. What happened to scheduling Maryland in late November every year? Let's make football after Thanksgiving count by playing an ACC Atlantic foe the last week of the season. As much as I love the tradition and history of games like Georgia - Georgia Tech, Clemson - South Carolina, Florida - Florida State, these games don't have much meaning to the regular season and are sort of an anticlimatic end to the regular season.

Jeff: No no no. Having Syracuse as the last regular season game is perfect. It would be nice for our ACC championship game fate to already be determined prior to the last game of the year so that there is no chance of playing a must-win game one week and the ACC Championship game the next week.

Gene DeFilippo: Boston College did not drop the game with Army. It was Army that asked out of the game. We, too, are disappointed that we will not be making the trip to West Point this fall. The Army team is on our schedule in future years, and we certainly hope to play those games both in Alumni Stadium and on the campus at West Point.

Toss Up - Scheduling the Army Black Knights going forward? Love it or hate it?

Jeff: I would love to see Army be the Parents Weekend game for a couple of years. I think you need to keep the Parents' Weekend game a winable one and for the near future, scheduling Army would certainly accomplish that. Eventually, hopefully Army strengthens their program like Navy has in the last 5+ years but in the meantime they are basically a 1-AA team.

Brian: Ahh, Jeff. The Army game is only good if BC also travels to West Point for games that the greater NYC area fans can go attend, so it can't be the Parents Weekend game every year. Still, I like this, although is the Big East trying to steal the service academies away? If so, I don't like this idea.

Jeff: If BC did play Army it would most likely be 2 home games for every 1 away game so that covers 2 of every 3 years anyway.

Gene DeFilippo: Boston College is required to apply to the city of Boston to obtain an entertainment license to play our football games. The license the city grants us stipulates that we may open the gates to our parking lots two hours prior to a noon game and three hours prior to a game that starts at 1:00 or later. The additional hour was granted to us last year, and it was very successful. I am thrilled that the city will give us that same three-hour period for most our home games.

Toss Up - Better chance of the city of Boston backing the BC Master Plan or giving permission for BC fans to tailgate 9:00am to 9:00pm?

Brian: This is an easy one. The BC Master Plan will eventually be pushed through. Tailgating from sunrise to sunset will not.

Jeff: I don't care how unrealistic it is - I'm going with tailgating here. That would be a dream come true and also the reason why every BC fan needs to attend an away game and experience real post-graduation tailgating. As a student, you can tailgate all day long regardless but once you graduate you are at the mercy of when the parking lots open up. At Virginia Tech, for example, this year for the Thursday night game cars needed to be removed from tailgating lots by 4:00pm or something like that. But that didn't mean that tailgaters couldn't come in earlier than 4:00pm to get the evening started. At BC that would never happen.

ESPN began this poll and not surprisingly, Notre Dame is currently the #1 most hated team in all the land.

Last one, Toss Up - Second most hated in your mind, Ohio State or USC?

Jeff: This is an easy one to answer - Ohio State. Boy do those fans love their Buckeyes and think that the Big Ten and Ohio State football is king.

Brian: I have nothing against the men of Troy. Although both school's respective conferences are holding up a college football playoff by standing on tradition, I'd give the slight edge to Ohio State because they can coast through a weak Big Ten schedule and then get crushed in the BCS championship year after year.

Happy Time: A Look Back at a 2007 Preview

Brian: No BC birthdays of note today. If you know of one, leave in the comments section below.


Not so much an 'anniversary' but check out this post from this day one year ago. ACC Now's J.P. Giglio sat down with preseason college football guru Phil Steele and discussed Phil's forecast for the 2007 ACC season. Steele picked Boston College to finish dead last in the Atlantic Division.

"That doesn't mean I think they're a bad team," Steele said. "The main thing is the schedule and, of course, the coaching change."

"One of their strengths under Tom O'Brien was their O-line," Steele said. "They're changing to a zone-blocking scheme and that's going to take time to learn."

Not so fast my friend! Even though the O-line play was inconsistent at times, considering Boston College won the Atlantic Division last season, I guess Steele couldn't have been more wrong about the Eagles. Steele was also high on Florida State, NC State and Miami, thus proving that you should pay little to no attention to these expert preseason predictions.

Keep hating on the Eagles, experts. This is probably one of the main reasons why the Eagles have been one of the most underrated programs in college football over the past 19 seasons. Proven by real statistics! Notable programs on this list that are typically underrated year after year? (Surprisingly) Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and Maryland. Notable overrated programs? No surprises here. The Irish, Florida State, Miami-Florida and Clemson.


Happy Trails to Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper starting in the 2007 ACC Championship game. This AP article came out yesterday that stated that Harper suffered an injury during the Boston College game that may have sidelined him for the ACC Championship game. Last time I checked though, the Eagles won the Atlantic and Clemson didn't get a chance to play for the conference crown. Why this particular article is newsworthy is beyond me.

Headlines: Two Differing Season Previews and Ranking ACC Stadiums

Brian: Jeff, predictably J.P. Giglio of the News & Observer's ACC NOW blog predicts that BC will finish last in the Atlantic Division behind the local NC State Wolfpack.

"Even a fired-up Eagles team will be hard-pressed to win six games and get to a bowl to continue their impressive streak."

Your thoughts?

Jeff: Did our schedule change and I wasn't informed? How does BC not get to 6 wins this year?? Notre Dame still sucks and they are coming to the Heights this year. Our other out-of-conference games I think are definitely Ws. Then when we get to conference play we have Georgia Tech and Maryland at home and North Carolina and North Carolina State on the road. How do the Eagles not get to at least 6 wins???

Brian: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the News & Observer newspaper is based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Here is a more favorable outlook on the season from the NY Times blog The Quad. NY Times has us coming in at #46 and say that 8-4 (5-3 ACC) is a more realistic prediction on the season. Worst case scenario is 6-6 (3-5 ACC).

Jeff: This is a more realistic outlook. Let's talk about 8 wins for now and if Boston College can start off the season with 2 impressive wins we'll think about more optimistic possibilities after that.


Jeff: In this ranking of ACC stadiums and game-day atmospheres BC only beat out Duke, Miami and Wake Forest. Pretty pathetic, huh? But probably accurate. The only stadium I'd put us ahead of is maybe North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium.

Brian: No argument here with the stadiums listed below BC’s Alumni Stadium (although admittedly I haven’t attended games at those three stadiums). Of the stadiums ranked higher than Alumni, of the ones I have attended – Clemson, Virginia Tech and Maryland – I only disagree with ranking Maryland’s Byrd Stadium higher than Alumni. Putting aside the outcome of the game (last year’s 42-35 loss to the Terps), the description of the Terrapin’s stadium is spot on. They place visiting fans in the top corner of the triple deck side of the stadium, providing new meaning to the term “nose bleed.” In fact, off in the distance you could see the dome of the US Capitol building. You are that high up. Contrast that with Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, where the visitors are seated practically on field level. This fall we’ll see if North Carolina State's Carter-Finlay Stadium is that much better of an experience than that of Alumni’s.

Poll Results: Food Chain Haters

Here are the poll results from our side bar poll - our readers' very own food chain of the schools that hate us the most. It comes as no surprise to us that the winner is the school that tries to deny that they even think about the Eagles at all.

1. Notre Dame - 42 votes (56%)
2. Boston University - 32 votes (43%)
3. Connecticut - 23 votes (31%)
4. Rutgers - 11 votes (14%)
5. West Virginia - 10 votes (13%)
6. Holy Cross - 8 votes (10%)
7. Syracuse/Providence - 5 votes each (6%)

The reasons why the Irish hate on the Eagles are convoluted and complex, and will probably take multiple doctoral theses to fully explain. We here at BC Interruption can't fully explain the hate, but we sign off this week by offering up three reasons why the Irish love the hate. Enjoy.

Write-In Hater Vote: The Bonnies?

Justin: I am going to throw out a surprise write-in vote for the Haters Food Chain: St. Bonaventure.

Brian: What??

Justin: I have been going to the same dentist my whole life and he is an alum. For the last 9 years, all he does while drilling into my teeth is talk all kinds of crap about how BC sucks and we are overrated.

"The Bonnies are taking you down this year man! They are taking you down! The Eagle is not going to be flying on the court!"

(6 months later)

"That was such luck in February! We never get calls in Conte! Wait until you see this point guard recruit we got coming in from JUCO! He has NBA range!"

(6 more months)

"Down year for the Big East! A-10 is the new East Coast power conference in hoops! The tide is turning!"

I don't have time to go into his dissertation after we left for the ACC (during a root canal!), but this guy is truly, TRULY convinced that the Bonnies are one of our chief rivals. Maybe that doesn't make them Top 5, but I see them squeaking in as an Honorable Mention.

Andy: Sounds like you have to find a new dentist.

Brian: What's your dentist saying these days? St. Bonaventure managed to finish even worse than Boston College this year in men's hoops. 8-22. Ouch.

Food Chain: Haters

In hopes of starting an interweb flame-fest between the schools that hate us, this week's food chain:

Top 5 non-ACC schools who drink haterade on Boston College

Don't hate the Eagle, hate the game.

I'm sure these schools have nothing against Boston College personally, but sometimes college athletics seem to bring out the best (worst?) in a small minority of fans. Let us evaluate the merits of each of these school's fan bases to determine the pecking order of most hateful. For this exercise, we have brought in BC Interruption fill-ins Andy and Christian and newcomers to the program Raj and Justin.


Connecticut (UConn)

Brian: First, they don't want to have anything to do with us, try to sue the pants off us, then they are practically begging us to play them in football. Lots of BC fans have a bitter taste left from playing at UConn in football in 2003. And they must really hate us if Jeff is advocating for us beating them down in football yearly.

Jeff: Uconn is a school with great basketball tradition whose students and fans have a mindset that BC cannot compete with them on the court. In football though they are a relatively new program but their arrogant fans expect their team to start being a perrenial top 25 team and routinely finish ahead of BC in the polls. Oh, and yeah, every Big East team hates BC for leaving the conference. They don't hate Miami or Va Tech because they dominated football, only BC.


West Virginia

Andy: Apparently they don't like us?!

Christian: Dude, I can't tell if that's a rip on us or Ben Affleck. Either way, neither should be made fun of. "Affleck was the BOMB in Phantoms, yo!"

Justin: PHENOMENAL movie quote. "What the F is the internet?"


Holy Cross

Raj: What was once a basketball powerhouse has now taken a backseat to every school in Massachusetts. The religious affiliation takes it to a higher level. Although I would say we are heads and shoulders above them, our basketball games can be considered instant classics. And I'm not trying to start anything but Uka Agbai's mysterious neck injury came at Holy Cross. Only true haters hurt Uka Agbai.

Brian: Two words. Sports. Guy. Get over it. Dude's been taking pot shots at BC for years.


Rutgers

Jeff: Rutgers and BC don't have a lot in common re: athletics and academics and Rutgers students are in denial about that. They are another extremely bitter Big East school but that will fade over time. If we don't start playing Rutgers in something soon, BC will be forgotten about in the minds of the Rutgers fan base.

Raj: Their AD was the one who led the case against BC leaving the Big East. I think the cause of action was being better in every sport including men's soccer.


Boston University

Raj: I threw this in for the simple fact they are the only other Boston school that matters in hockey and drinking. They hate on BC because we are the closest school to them. Fiercest rivalry in hockey, again, stemming from the proximity.

Andy: Raj's reason's are spot on. Proximity. Our girls are better looking. They wish they had a Dust Bowl.

Christian: Two words. "Safety school." OK, two more words. "BC rejects." They're bitter. Enough said.


Syracuse

Raj: Quality school but just need the hate. We hate on them and as a result its retaliation. They ruined our final years in Big East football and enjoyed doing so. Their basketball program is annoying and I think we really pissed them off storming the court after we beat them freshman year. I'm just saying.

Brian: I don't know if Syracuse would be on my list anymore, if only because they've made their football program irrelevant in past years. Other than upsetting Louisville and exposing one of the most overrated programs of the last decade. Brian Brohm can't hold Matty Ice's jock. I'm just saying.

Jeff: Every Syracuse fan I've come across says that they had the opportunity to move to the ACC but turned it down and then BC got invited instead. False.


Providence

Andy: More BC rejects than any other school.

Brian: Ouch. Real reasons: the only fellow Big East conference member who also is a member of Hockey East. We have a great rivalry with PC in both hockey and basketball. Providence is a similar school to BC with a religious affiliation and we are practically in each other's backyards.


Notre Dame


Andy: Their students insist there is no rivalry. Denial is a dangerous thing. BC undefeated since a certain group of Eagles moved into Duchesne West. Fans hate us because they show no respect.

Jeff: Notre Dame fans have been denying that there is a rivalry for years and years and its sad. Finally they are starting to come around because of our recent dominance in the football series but there are still too many doubters out there. The hottest ticket at BC this season will be the Notre Dame game and when thousands of BC students make the trek to Sound Bend for the game it has the perfect makings of a rivalry. Not to mention all the upsets BC has had over them in football and then Notre Dame handing BC their first basketball loss when the Eagles started the season 20-0.

Brian: The Irish love to hate. The rivalry was only strengthened by the NCAA men's ice hockey national championship.


Brian's Food Chain

5. Notre Dame - They have cute nicknames for us like "Backup College" and "Fredo." If there isn't a rivalry and no hate, why are you spending all this time coming up with nicknames for us?
4. West Virginia - the Mountaineers took pleasure in bouncing the #1 seeded Eagles from our last Big East men's bball tournament and take pleasure in making fun of Ben Affleck
3. Connecticut - UConn football aspires to the level of BC
2. Rutgers - we made them look pretty silly in football during our years in the Big East
1. Boston University - 2 NCAA Titles in 7 years, it must just eat them up inside. They can have the Beanpot

Jeff's Food Chain

5. West Virginia/Rutgers - the only other remaining football and basketball Big East schools
4. Connecticut - only a 2 hour drive between campuses
3. Syracuse - they wish they were in the ACC and a football series is starting up again soon
2. Boston University - the close proximity makes it a natural hatred
1. Notre Dame - you can even look up the BC-ND rivalry on Wikipedia. And there are many similarities between the schools as far as academics and size so many students apply to both out of high school


Leave your comments, proof of the hate and/or your top 5 in the comments section.

The News & Observer Loves Us ... and the Big Finish

BC v. Clemson Round 4. A sure loss for the Eagles?

Brian: It literally pains me when I think about how far away we still are from football season. But apparently it's never too soon for so-called experts and pundits to preview this coming football season. The News & Observer's ACC Now blog threw their hat into the ring and came out with their pre-season outlook on BC and Clemson yesterday. The preview says a lot of things we already know about the team (inexperience at the QB and RB positions and holes to fill in the secondary), but I was surprised to read that the Eagles "will be hard-pressed" to get to 6 wins on the season. Jeff, your thoughts?

Jeff: That's crazy! If we struggle to win 6 games that means that 7 of our opponents might beat us. I think we will win all four of our out of conference games, then win two ACC home games (likely Georgia Tech and Maryland) and then possibly win every game in North Carolina (North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake). Meanwhile we could easily win at Florida State too. Now I'm not saying that BC is going to win 10 games next year, but they might. And simply put a team that might win 10 games doesn't then instead only win 5. Our defense will be too good next year to not win 6, 7, 8 or more games.

Brian: Yes, I agree this is a little short-sighted. BC hasn't won less than 6 games since 1998 and have averaged 8.7 wins per season since. I guess we'll be in a position to surprise some "experts" again this season. Weren't we picked to finish last in the Atlantic last year by at least one of these experts?! Also what strikes me about this preview is that our home date with Clemson is chalked up as a "sure-loss." Given that we have owned Clemson over our first three years in the league and that Tommy Bowden will still be coaching the Tigers come November 1, can anyone really say this is a sure-fire loss? (And please put aside the soft spot in your heart for Clemson football)

Jeff: I can guarantee you Clemson fans aren't seeing that game as a sure-win. They think Tommy Bowden can't beat us. There is no sure fire loss on our schedule this year because the two best teams we'll play - Clemson and Virginia Tech - both come to Chestnut Hill.


Big Finish

Brian: Kentucky and Indiana hoops have reportedly offered non-binding scholarships to 8th and 9th graders. New trend for Skinner to pick up or mere absurdity?

Jeff: That is nothing all that new. Tyler King of Duke this year had committed to UCLA before he was in high school. It's stupid. It's just a verbal commitment. No, Skinner should not do that. How do you know what kind of student an eighth grader is gonna be? Shoot, these kids might have their own kids by the time their signing day rolls around.


Jeff: Sailing's Adam Roberts was named Sportsman of the Year. That's good, right?

Brian: I would say so. Adam won't get as much pub as much as, say, SI Sportsman of the Year Brett Favre, but still a pretty nice honor.


Brian: Last one, our sidebar poll for favorite memory from the 2007-2008 seasons closes today. Jeff, what was your favorite memory?

Jeff: Memories from this football season trump everything else in Boston College athletics this year. I'm torn but I'll go with the Clemson game. That was amazing.

Brian: I'm going to go with the Miracle in Blacksburg, a game you and I attended. 56 minutes of "why the hell did I drive the 8 hours from NYC solo to attend this game?!" and 4 minutes of rock 'n roll mixed with awesomeness. But it's a virtual toss up between this game and celebrating an Atlantic Division crown with Baldwin on the field in Death Valley.

Role Play: Gerbe, AJ, Jags, ACC Insider, Crane

It's Wednesday and you know what that means - time for a game of role play. And for all you people that found this blog by Googling the search term "role play," you are in the wrong place ...

Jeff: Brian, you are Nathan Gerbe. Not coming back for another year at the Heights? WTF?

Brian as Nathan Gerbe: I was very torn on this decision, Jeff. But not really. I just felt that I had accomplished all that I had set out to do at Boston College. Frozen Four MOP, nation's leading scorer, Beanpot championship, Hockey East championship, National championship. What more could you have asked from me? Not it's time for me to take care of me and my own and for the Sabres to show me the money!

Brian: Jeff, you are AJ Brooks. Rumor is you want back into football, this time with Georgetown College (KY). Is your troubled past behind you and are you gonna tear up the NAIA?

Jeff as AJ Brooks: I am going to tear up the NAIA! I should've seen the field more at BC, but the coaches didn't like me. I got into one on campus fight and you think I have a troubled past? I bet half of BC students have been in some sort of late night altercation, but since I am bigger than most of those kids I have some idiot claim I assaulted him with a dangerous weapon, my shoe. I mean c'mon. Naturally the charges were dropped and I'm ready to move on and get 20+ touches a game at Georgetown.

Jeff: Brian, you are the spirit of Chicago White Sox's manager Ozzie Guillen channeled inside the body of Coach Jags. How do you feel about the Boston College – Notre Dame rivalry?

Brian as Coach Jags channeling his inner Ozzie Guillen: We've beat them 5 times in a row, and we're horse[bleep]. The Irish haven't won a bowl game since 1994, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody. We're horse[bleep], and we're going to be horse[bleep] the rest of our lives, no matter how many times we beat down on Notre Dame.

We are the [bleep] of the Catholics. We're the Catholic [bleep].

/end exorcism

Jeff: I'm not exactly sure what you just said, but I take it you think we're better than Notre Dame.


Brian: Jeff, you are this ACC insider of The News & Observer. Again, no love for BC from a Carolina newspaper. BC projected to finish #10 of #12 in men's hoops next year. Go ahead, back up your outlook.

Jeff as ACC insider: Brian, where do you want me to put your beloved Eagles? First!? No. This is the ACC not the Big East, its not that easy. I do expect your team to be better than last year hence I bumped them up from their last place finish in 07-08. If Spears had stayed I might have moved them to the middle of the pack but they are going to struggle down low this coming season defending some of the ACC's athletic big men.

Jeff: Brian, you are Boston College QB Chris Crane. Are you pissed or pleased that you are "decent" according to Diana Nearhos of the Heights?

Brian as Chris Crane: Decent?! I'm pissed. Look, I know I'm not going to be great. I have big shoes to fill. Matt Ryan was a football stud and was just selected as the highest NFL draft pick to ever come out of BC. A tough act to follow for sure, but unlike my competition, I have seen some action as the Eagles signal caller. How many touchdowns Matt Ryan score in the Blacksburg downpour? 2? Oh, I just had 3 touchdowns and 2 on the ground in similar, miserable playing conditions. I'm not just going to be decent. To steal a line from Coach Jags, I'm gonna win, and I'm going to look good doing it.

Headlines: Motivation and Most Unimportant?!

Brian: Let's start off with football as we get closer to the trip to Orlando and Matt Ryan's final game. Some are questioning if BC will be motivated in this game after nearly going to the Orange Bowl. Are you concerned?

Jeff: No. Let's start with the defense. We have a linebacking core and a strong safety that just like to hit people and hit people hard. They could be playing Duke, Baylor, Stanford, or BC High and they would bring it as soon as they walk out onto the field. Then to address the offense. Matt Ryan is still trying to move up the draft board and last time I checked, as Matt Ryan goes, so do the Eagles. We will be fine. And as for the team overall, we have a lot of seniors who will be playing their last game so I am certain they will want to leave the field with a victory.

Brian: Matt Ryan and Jeff Jagodzinsky certainly have a knack for saying all the right things this year. I don't doubt that they will have the boys fully motivated for the Champs Sports Bowl. As for other motivation, don't underestimate how much the BC bowl winning streak will play as far as motivating the team. TOB really hung his hat on this accomplishment despite playing inferior opponents a few of those years (see: Toledo, CSU, UNC, Arizona State). Michigan State, although they finished 7th in the Big 10, is a major BCS conference opponent. A win over a BCS conference opponent will go a long way to helping Jags on the recruiting trail. It will also somewhat silence TOB supporters who tout BC's bowl streak as one of his major accomplishments. Also, there will only be a handful of teams that can say they won 11 games this year. BC hasn't won 11 since 1940's 11-0 squad, so there is history to be made as well.

Jeff: Yes the bowl streak is nice and 11 wins would be great, but I strongly disagree that beating Michigan State validates our winning streak. It is a better "name" than Boise State or Toledo for sure but this streak is going to have to include a win in a Gator, Orange or Peach Bowl at some point to be remembered by anyone other than BC fans.

Brian: Have to disagree. Writers and college football gurus have taken notice of us this season. As an example, Kirk Herbstreit thinks that we should be on upset alert. A win over the Spartans will go a long way to silencing the critics and validating our bowl win streak (of the 8 bowl games in the streak, we will have beaten 4 BCS conference teams - UGA, Arizona State, UNC and Michigan State). A win also strengthens the ACC's resume over the Big 10. Finally, a win coupled with stability in the coaching staff, seems to be helping our recruiting efforts. Recruits are passing up places like Arkansas for BC because of coaching stability. We can really build on this win.

Jeff: Bowl wins are great and this bowl game is probably our most important since playing Georgia in Nashville. But, assuming the streak continues it will get a ton of national attention after a win in a top tier bowl.


Jeff: Brian, Jux Berg called BC "the most unimportant team in college football" in an article last week. I know this pissed you off. What do you have to say about it?

Brian: One of the BC supporters who posted comments (of which, there are 371!) on this article wrote a rebuttal on Bleacher Report. Largely, I agree with the response other than naming other programs who are more "unimportant" than BC. We are above this. The simple fact that Jux Berg wrote an article about BC proves that they are not the most unimportant program in college. The article oozes of jealousy and bitterness. The article's whole premise is indefensible and the timing of the article is also quite curious (post ACCCG loss). Overall though, my biggest shock was that Sports Illustrated picked up the article and spun it as "Finally - a Loser in Boston." BC is the furthest thing from a "loser" this year or even over the past few years.

Jeff: Wow, Brian, I thought you were going to blast this article for pages and pages. So since you are taking the high road I will as well and I will point out the one good fact that Mr. Berg did point out - no top 10 finishes in 23 years. Outside of students and alumni of the teams that do, no one remembers who squeaked into the top 25 at the end of the year which is where we usually are. This year we were a major part of the national football picture for much of the season and it still looks like even 11 wins will not be enough to get us back into the top 10 at the year end so the streak will continue. I am not expecting to see BC in the top 10 every year, but this year we had as good of a chance as ever and we lost to a mediocre Maryland team. Once again one win away from a major bowl or conference championship. When will BC have a different story to tell at the end of the year?

Brian: Who finished in the top 10 in 2004? Did you know Utah, Iowa and Cal did? Where are those programs this year? There isn't a top 25 vote among those 3 teams this year. My point: no one remembers the Top 10 year in, year out. Polls are subjective and subject to the whims of sports writers and coaches (how else can you explain LSU jumping 5 spots in the final week to squeak into the BCS championship?) I disagree. This is a meaningless statistic. Besides, if Jux did his homework, I'm willing to bet there are MULTIPLE BCS conference teams that haven't sniffed the Top 10 in more than 23 years.

Jeff: I could've told you Iowa and Utah, but not Cal. I agree you don't remember the top 10 every year either but you remember that a lot more than the top 25. I remember Utah beating Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl in 2004 when BC should've represented the Big East by simply beating Syracuse in the final game of the season. Next, if we looked at teams with no top 10 finishes in the last 23 years the list would include names like: Baylor, Iowa State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Arizona. Putting those names up next to Boston College does not make BC look any better.

Brian: I don't care to put those programs up against BC because this is a meaningless statistic. To humor you though, Northwestern finished #8 (AP) in 1995. Arizona #10 (UPI) in 1986. Agree Vandy, Iowa State and Baylor have been terrible. But add these teams to your list of "important" powerhouse football programs who have sniffed the top 25 in the last 23 years - East Carolina (#9 AP 1991), Kansas (#9 AP 1995), North Carolina (#10 AP 1996), Tulane (#7 AP 1998), Marshall (#10 1999), and Miami (OH) (#10 AP 2003). No one can argue that these teams are important because they've had 1 top 10 finish in the last 23 years. My conclusion is that Jux's criteria for determining the most unimportant football team is completely flawed. Finally, I would add that had BC been given the opportunity, they would have finished in the top 10 this year easily. That's not to say I'm completely ruling this out though, as I'm picking BC to win their bowl game, and a combo of Illinois / West Virginia / Hawaii / Arizona State / Kansas to lose their bowl games.

Jeff: Jux's argument was completely ridiculous. I thought we established that early on. A top ten finish in recent memory is something BC currently lacks on their resume though.

Brian: Rutgers finished #12 (AP) last season, their highest ranking in the last 23 years. Does finishing outside the top 10 take away from their great season last year? No. Does anyone doubt that Rutgers football is now a strong program in the Big East? No. I could care less if BC ever finishes in the top 10. The only resume builder BC football should ever be concerned with is ACC Championships.

Jeff: Rutgers football over the last 23 years SUCKS! Everyone knows that. Yes they had a good season last year and are going bowl again. But looking at Rutgers over a longer horizon they might still be the WORST team in college football.