Breaking Down The 2009-2010 Eagles Basketball Schedule

Brian: While I was out of the country, the Eagles released their 2009-2010 men’s basketball schedule. Let’s take a short break from all the football news and take a more detailed look at the Eagles’ schedule. For this undertaking we bring in good friend and BCI guest blogger Raj. Welcome.

Non-Conference


First, let's take a closer look at our non-conference slate of games for 2009-2010.

11-13-09 Dartmouth
11-17-09 St. Francis (NY)
11-20-09 Saint Joseph’s (Paradise Jam, USVI)
11-22-09 Purdue/South Dakota State (Paradise Jam, USVI)
11-23-09 DePaul/Northern Iowa/East Carolina/Tennessee (Paradise Jam, USVI)
11-28-09 at Providence
12-02-09 at Michigan (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)
12-09-09 Harvard
12-13-09 Rhode Island
12-20-09 Bryant University
12-23-09 Massachusetts
12-30-09 South Carolina
01-02-10 Maine
01-05-10 NJIT

In non-conference play, the Eagles will potentially face three NCAA tournament teams in Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee (the last two hopefully in the Paradise Jam in the US Virgin Islands). Skinner & Co. will also take their unbeaten ACC-Big Ten Challenge record to Crisler Arena to face a tough, young Michigan squad. Both Providence (our only true road non-conference game) and Massachusetts always play the Eagles close. Last year, the Eagles went 13-3 in non-conference action with losses at Saint Louis, vs. Purdue, and at home vs. Harvard. The bad news for the Eagles is that Crimson senior guard Jeremy Lin returns for his senior season.

Raj, early gut reaction. Over/under on number of wins in non-conference play?

Raj: Expectations are high coming into this year for the Eagles despite the loss of our best pure scorer. Who fills that void? Who steps up as the leader of the team? Honestly, the only sure thing from BC basketball the past two seasons is an inexplicable loss to an inferior team, a signature from Skinner.

I expect at least three losses: One loss coming in the final round of the Paradise Jam, a loss to either to Michigan or Providence and another wild card loss to possibly upstart Rhode Island. Unlike years past, we should dominate UMass as two of the top 3 Minutemen scorers were lost to graduation. Those losses leave UMass very undersized at the forward position. I'll set the number of wins at 11, and hope for a young, energetic Boston College team to make me eat my words.

Brian: I'll go slightly higher and predict a 12-2 non-conference record for the Eagles this year. Both losses will come to Big Ten teams. The Eagles will lose again to Purdue in the second round of the Paradise Jam, and BC will also lose their unblemished mark in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at Michigan. Unlike previous seasons, I don't expect any early letdown games this year, especially with only two true road games in non-conference play.

What do you see as the defining non-conference game on this year's schedule?

Raj: The ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup with Michigan is definitely the key non-conference matchup on the schedule. Michigan is a well coached team that returns a solid core of returning players. Don't forget that this squad knocked off Duke last year. With a solid performance on national television and a win in Ann Arbor, the Eagles can really catapult onto the national stage early and provide our team with the exposure necessary even if we are close to a .500 team in ACC play.


ACC Schedule


Next up, here is the ACC schedule for 2009-2010:

12-06-09 Miami (Fla.)
01-09-10 at Clemson
01-13-10 at Duke
01-16-10 Maryland
01-19-10 at Miami (Fla.)
01-23-10 at Virginia Tech
01-26-10 Clemson
01-30-10 Florida State
02-06-10 Duke
02-09-10 at Wake Forest
02-14-10 at Florida State
02-20-10 North Carolina
02-24-10 Virginia Tech
02-27-10 at Georgia Tech
03-03-10 Virginia
03-07-10 at NC State

Brian: The first thing that jumps out to me – other than getting both North Carolina and Duke at home – is nothing the teams we play twice this season. Last season the Eagles faced the following five teams twice (with final 2009 Pomeroy rankings in parenthesis): Georgia Tech (93), NC State (79), Virginia Tech (66), Miami FL (40), and Wake Forest (25). That’s an average ranking of 60.6. Now I know the Eagles made the NCAAs last season, but some could argue that the Eagles benefitted from a favorable ACC unbalanced schedule last season to get to 9-7 in league play.

This season is a bit of a different beast entirely. The Eagles don’t have nearly as favorable a schedule as they did last season. BC plays the following teams twice this season: Virginia Tech (66), Miami FL (40), Florida State (36), Clemson (22) and Duke (11), for an average ranking of 35. Sure, not much is expected of Virginia Tech, Florida State or a Jack McClinton-less Miami team this season, but I certainly consider Clemson and Duke to be in the upper echelon of ACC teams this season. Clemson loses a lot of talent going into this season but quickly reloaded with a top 10 nationally ranked recruiting class of Milton Jennings (PF), Noel Johnson (SG), Devin Booker (PF), and Donte Hill (SF).

On the travel front, BC also lucks out by not getting to travel to Maryland or Virginia, our two closest ACC geographic neighbors. Skinner’s young team does, however, have to travel to Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson, the four schools furthest from Chestnut Hill. Not only will the Eagles have to travel great further this year, but the scheduling gods didn't do the Eagles any favorites with the placement of our eight ACC road games. The Eagles have back-to-back road games at Clemson and Duke in early January, Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech in late January and Wake Forest and Florida State in early February. Will the Eagles travel schedule and all these back-to-back road games prove to be a tough obstacle for this Eagles squad?

Raj: Great point. These back-to-back away games will be a test that these young Eagles have yet to encounter. Last season the Eagles had one losing streak of four games and after that put together an impressive streak where they didn't lose more than two in a row the rest of the season. But don't count your wins too quickly Eagles' fans. We split the only back-to-back road games we had last season, squeaking by a depleted Georgia Tech team in overtime.

The Eagles were extremely strong at home and I look for Conte Forum to become an even tougher place to play this season. Hopefully we capitalize on our home court advantage and don't drop games that we should win.

I like our schedule come February, and will be in a position to really impress the Committee come dance time. I do think this young team with a more experienced Reggie Jackson will play with a chip on their shoulder, showing people they don't need Tyrese Rice to be successful.

Brian: What games stand out to you most? In other words, which games on the ACC schedule will go the furthest to define just how far the Eagles can go this season?

Raj: The obvious choices would be North Carolina and Duke but those games are great for Sportscenter highlights. Let's take a look at the games against Wake Forest and Clemson.

Splitting the home-and-home series Clemson in January will be key and will set the tone for four road games against pretty stiff competition that month. Remember last January when we got beat by a bunch of nerds and went on to lose the next three ACC games. This simply can't happen this year.

We start off February with Wake Forest. February will be a very important month to securing our place in the NCAA tourney. Last year we got served by the Deacons both home and away. If we can pull out the game at Wake Forest, it would be a great resume builder for the Eagles close to tournament time. Not to mention a win here would give the team some confidence against a team that made us look like a Newton Y-League team last season.

Brian: Now having analyzed the schedule, do you think the Eagles can improve on their 9-7 ACC mark from a year ago? Or will the Eagles end up with more (less?) conference wins in 2009-2010?

Raj: I really like our schedule but I'm afraid I'll have to say less wins in 2009-2010. We can't expect to beat North Carolina and Duke again, and too many other teams have improved while we are still looking for that player who can score at will. (When you have 0 incoming recruits, is that ever a good thing?) Don't get me wrong. This team has potential and has an opportunity to be a better basketball "team" since we don't have to watch Tyrese Rice launch 30-foot threes when the shot clock is running down. However, Rice's hot streaks won some games for us last year and there isn't one player on our roster that teams will game plan for.

Key to the season: we go as Biko goes.

Brian: I will actually go slightly over here and say the Eagles go 10-6 in conference. They'll beat the team that they are supposed to beat - NC State, Virginia, Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech - but will fall short against the league's elite teams. While a 22 win regular season will be enough to get BC into the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee won't be able to point to an Eagles' marquee win like they were last season.


Burning The Midnight Oil

Brian: The one thing that still bothers me is the ACC’s insistence on having 9pm ET tipoffs. This season the Eagles play two ACC games that start at 9pm – at Miami on January 19 and at home vs. Virginia on March 3. The Virginia game, in particular, worries me as the Eagles will likely be playing for ACC Tournament seeding or an NCAA Tournament berth and tip is at 9pm. Will the students show up? If last year is any indication, don’t count on it. When will the league office stop this nonsense of scheduling 9pm weeknight conference games? Raj, you come down as hard as I do on these 9pm league games, right?

Raj: Nine o'clock weeknight conference games are not as bad as you make them out to be. My ideal time though is a 7pm tip off. Now I'm a Superfan. I'd show up if there were games starting at 6am. But I don't think 9:00pm starts are all that bad. Games rarely last longer than 2 1/2 hours and getting home at 11:30 for a college student isn't too bad. That leaves at least 3 hours of Facebook stalking or video games.

So if students don't show up, I'm not so sure they would show up at all. The March 3rd game against Virginia falls during BC's spring break so that game is a wash anyhow. The one thing it does solve is the time conflict with Perspectives. I know too many people who missed games because of that class.

Brian: I have to disagree here. For the basketball games over spring break, the school relies on the season ticket holders and community members to give Conte some semblance of an atmosphere. This game starting at 9pm is going to turn away a lot of families and season ticket holders. I'm fairly concerned about losing what little home court advantage the Eagles may typically enjoy against a team we should otherwise handle easily. The flipside of this is any advantage we lose as a result of poor attendance vs. Virginia is gained when the Eagles travel to Miami in mid-January. Miami home games are typically poorly attended at the BankUnited Center to begin with, so hopefully Canes fans stay home for this 9pm tipoff.


Leave your thoughts, comments and predictions on the upcoming season in the comments section below.

Fortune Teller: ACC Champions and Bowl Predictions

Part of BCI's season preview week.

First we gave you the Atlantic Division picture, then the Coastal. Last up, who will win the ACC Championship Game and where will teams go bowling this season? Our ACC Championship Game and bowl picks (and right in time before the season kicks off!) below for your approval.


Brian's ACC Championship Game and Bowl Predictions

ACC Championship - Miami Fla. > Clemson, for their first ever ACC Championship

Orange - Miami (Fla.)
Peach - Clemson
Gator - Florida State
Champs - Virginia Tech
Music City - Georgia Tech
Meineke Car Care - North Carolina
Emerald - Boston College
EagleBank - NC State
GMAC - Wake Forest

Miami (Fla.) faces Ohio State - a BCS at-large - in the Orange Bowl.

Even though the Peach Bowl has passed on the ACC Championship Game runner-up every year since the conference started playing championship games, that rule won’t to Clemson. Atlanta is more than happy to take the Tigers in a year where the SEC will send two teams to BCS games and the Peach will have to settle for a middle of the pack program like Tennessee or Ole Miss. Also, the fact that the 2007 game between Clemson and Auburn pulled in the highest rating in the bowl’s history won’t be lost on the Atlanta Sports Council.

The Gator scoops up Florida State and the Hokies are sent to Orlando. Georgia Tech dusts off the Wrambling Wreck and makes the short four hour drive up to Nashville, and the Meineke Car Care Bowl is happy to take the local team in UNC for the second consecutive season.

Boston College is sent west to face a big draw Pac-10 team (a UCLA or Oregon State,) while Tom O’Brien and the Wolfpack set out to prove that they are the best team in the state of North Carolina (woo!) for the second straight season* as they face East Carolina in the EagleBank Bowl.

Finally, Wake Forest heads to the Mobile to face a directional Michigan team in the GMAC Bowl.


* NC State will have knocked off Gardner-Webb, Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina, but will lose to ECU in Washington.


Jeff’s Coastal Division predictions

ACC Championship - Virginia Tech > Clemson

Orange - Virginia Tech (again)
Peach - Clemson
Gator - Florida State
Champs - Georgia Tech
Music City - Miami (Fla.)
Meineke Car Care - Boston College
Emerald - North Carolina
EagleBank - NC State
GMAC - Wake Forest

Virginia Tech will play Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl which will be a true "Orange Bowl" when the Oklahoma State Cowboys wear their orange uniforms and Virginia Tech fans wear their orange.

This rest shapes out fairly simply because Clemson will have been 10-2 entering the ACC Championship Game and travels well such that the Peach Bowl will take them. After that, it's basically a matter of the next best teams going to each bowl after that since the two best traveling fan bases - Virginia Tech and Clemson - will have already been gobbled up.

Boston College should have a good game against Rutgers or West Virginia in Charlotte. Not a matchup that will produce a sellout but should get a good number of BC fans traveling to Charlotte.


Your thoughts/predictions?

Fortune Teller: ACC Coastal Division Standings

Part of BCI's season preview week.

Yesterday, we unveiled our picks for the 2009 Atlantic Division race. Here is how we see the Coastal Division race playing out this season.


Brian’s Coastal Division predictions

Miami (Fla.) 9-3 (6-2)
Georgia Tech 10-2 (6-2)
Virginia Tech 9-3 (6-2)
North Carolina 9-3 (5-3)
Duke 5-7 (2-6)
Virginia 3-9 (0-8)

My ACC Coastal ends up looking like last year’s Big XII South, with a three-way tie atop the division. In a bold and surprising move, I give Miami Fla. the nod over both the Hokies and the Jackets. Miami will lose at both Florida State and Wake Forest, but knocks off the Hokies, Jackets and Heels to earn a spot in their first ACC Championship Game.

Virginia Tech loses to Miami and at Georgia Tech while Georgia Tech loses at Miami and at home vs. North Carolina.

Of course the biggest disappointment for the conference is that no team (cough, cough, Virginia Tech) emerges as a BCS National Championship Game contender this season. We will continue to here the meme about how the ACC has parity but no powerhouse programs.

Duke doubles its ACC win total from 2008 by defeating both Maryland and Virginia (for a second straight season, I might add). However, the Blue Devils come two games short of making a bowl. Finally, Virginia goes 0-for-ACC and is shopping for a new coach come December.


Jeff’s Coastal Division predictions

Virginia Tech 10-2 (6-2)
Miami 8-4 (5-3)
Georgia Tech 8-4(5-3)
Duke 6-6 (3-5)
Virginia 6-6 (3-5)
North Carolina 7-5 (3-5)

I, like many others, have Virginia Tech winning the Coastal Division (again). Of the rest of the division, I like Miami's chances best to change that and expect the Canes to defeat the Hokies this year. However, I think Virginia Tech will finish with a better conference record. I also think the Canes will beat Georgia Tech, but will slip at a few less predictable points throughout the season to finish at 5-3 in conference.

Georgia Tech should have another nice season but I think they'll lose to Georgia to finish 8-4 overall.

Duke will be the big surprise when they beat North Carolina this season. This W will give the Blue Devils a chance to become bowl eligible going into their final game of the season against Wake Forest (spoiler alert: Duke falls to Wake Forest and won't go bowling again this season).

Virginia will come up with a few wins this season in Coastal Division play to finish 6-6 including a win vs. North Carolina, which leaves the Tar Heels in last in the division.

North Carolina should roll in non-conference play but will struggle in the tough Coastal Division and fail to live up to their preseason expectations/ranking. Even though I picked them to beat Boston College, they will rack up the losses against Coastal Division opponents. Seven wins is just enough to get the Heels bowling in December.


Your thoughts/predictions?

Fortune Teller: ACC Atlantic Division Standings

Part of BCI's season preview week.

The cat's out of the bag. Neither Jeff or I have the Eagles above .500 in ACC play so essentially both of us don't think the Eagles have enough to three-peat in the ACC Atlantic. But what does our crystal ball have in store for the rest of the division this season?


Jeff’s Atlantic Division predictions

Clemson 10-2 (6-2)
Florida State 8-4 (5-3)
Boston College 8-4 (4-4)
NC State 6-6 (3-5)
Wake Forest 7-5 (3-5)
Maryland 5-7 (2-6)

Clemson may lose to Boston College on September 19th but they'll bounce back and beat TCU the following week. TCU hasn't won a tough road game since beating Oklahoma in 2005, which ended up being one of two Oklahoma non-conference losses that season.

Florida State - having lost at Clemson - will finish second in the Atlantic Division and lose their regular-season finale against Florida.

Boston College will finish third with a .500 record, a far cry from the last few year's final standings.

NC State wins the tie breaker over Wake Forest to finish fourth. After a 6-1 start, they lose their last five games of the season to finish 6-6.

Wake Forest will win all four of its non-conference games but only get 3 conference wins.

Maryland's five wins will come against James Madison, Middle Tennessee State, Rutgers, Duke and NC State.

Finally, for the first time, the Atlantic Division will finish 1 game under .500 vs. the Coastal Division.


Brian’s Atlantic Division predictions

Clemson 8-4 (5-3)
Florida State 8-4 (5-3)
Boston College 7-5 (4-4)
NC State 8-4 (4-4)
Wake Forest 7-5 (4-4)
Maryland 3-9 (1-7)

Jeff with the hometown pick in Clemson! Hate to do this, but I have to agree with him, although I don't expect Clemson to win 10 games breaking in a brand new quarterback and coaching staff. C.J. Spiller is certainly a playmaker, but Clemson will wind up dropping more than 2 games. The Tigers win a highly competitive (mediocre?) Atlantic Division race with a 5-3 mark. Clemson ties Florida State at 5-3 atop the Atlantic but Clemson goes to their first ACC Championship game based on winning the head-to-head tiebreaker. Clemson also drops games in conference on the road at Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.).

Florida State's hopes to get back to the ACC Championship Game die on November 14, as the 'Noles yet again struggle to put away the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem.

Every team in the Atlantic will drop a game to a BCS opponent this season except for NC State, who conveniently plays all of their non-conference schedule at Carter-Finley Stadium. Florida State will lose at Florida, Clemson will lose at home vs. TCU, Boston College loses at Notre Dame, Maryland drops two to California and Rutgers and Wake loses to Baylor this weekend (and if they don’t, I’ll predict a 1-1 split between their games with Baylor and Stanford in weeks 1 and 2).

Finally, BC will go 3-1 in non-conference play, losing a heart breaker to Notre Dame. In conference, BC won’t be able to get past Florida State and North Carolina at home, and Clemson and Virginia Tech on the road.

Fortune Teller: Predicting The Season

Part of BCI's season preview week.

The 2009 Eagles football season is sure to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Today we peer into our crystal ball to find out how the 2009 football season will play out. Jeff's pick is listed first followed by Brian's.


Northeastern. Win / Win

Jeff: There isn't a whole lot to think about here. A few draws up the middle to Harris should be enough to beat Northeastern. Only the final score is in question.


Kent State. Win / Win

Brian: In last year's game, Golden Flashes senior quarterback Julian Edelman accounted for 64% of Kent State's total offense. Edelman is gone, and even with playmaker Eugene Jarvis returning for his senior season, the Eagles shouldn't have too much difficulty shutting down the Flashes offense. But can the Eagles offense move the ball on offense?


at Clemson. Win / Loss

Jeff: With the way the offseason has unfolded, Boston College will enter this game as underdogs once again against the Tigers. Fortunately for BC, though, they are undefeated against Clemson as underdogs since joining the ACC and I expect that trend to continue. A quick Eagle score will put the Clemson coaches and players on their heels, and the Eagles will be able to play loose due to the low expectations the fans and media have for them this season.


Wake Forest. Loss / Win

Brian: Since 2003 when the Eagles renewed a series with the Deacons, every game has been an adventure. This year's game should prove to be no exception. The battle on both sides of the ball will prove to be exciting. Wake Forest's offense led by senior quarterback Riley Skinner vs. another Spaziani-led defense, and BC's young offense vs. a depleted Wake Forest defensive unit. Jeff and I are split on this game, but I think the home field advantage gives the slight edge to the Eagles. This will be a wild game, but the Eagles winning ways at home against Wake Forest continue.


Florida State. Win / Loss

Jeff: This is without question the biggest home game of the 2009 season and I think the players will respond. Back in the Tom O'Brien days, BC pretty much never won a game where they were a significant underdog. However, that trend has changed in the last few years. In one of the few BC games this season that is likely to be on ABC/ESPN in prime time, the young Eagles team will play their hearts out just as they did in Tallahassee last year. That being said, it could go either way since Florida State is the most talented team in the division this year, hence Brian and I being split on who will win.


at Virginia Tech. Loss / Loss

Brian: I certainly have my doubts about the Hokies chances to three-peat in the ACC this year (the play of Tyrod Taylor, no Darren Evans, an otherwise anemic offense, etc. etc.), but there probably isn't a tougher, more intimidating place to play in the ACC than Lane Stadium. Without some Matt Ryan magic this season, this may very well be an unpleasant road trip for the Eagles. My only hope for this game is that it is a noon kickoff and the Eagles D comes up huge and catches the Hokies sleep walking.


North Carolina State. Loss / Win

Jeff: A loss here assumes that Russell Wilson is healthy. NC State is better this year than last year, and last year's game was too close for comfort. The Wolfpack nearly knocked off the Eagles despite Chris Crane having one of the greatest statistical games for a Boston College quarterback. This year we won't have the firepower to win a shootout. If Russell Wilson is not able to play though or if our offense progresses a little more than expected, this game is very winnable for the Eagles as well as long as they are not trapped by looking ahead to Notre Dame.


at Notre Dame. Win / Loss

Brian: The Eagles luck against the Irish runs out this season in a heartbreaking, last minute "Petersen-to-Gonzalez-in-the-corner-of-the-endzone-like" loss. While I personally don't think much of this year's Irish team (and feel their preseason Top 25 ranking is based solely on their easy schedule), I think the home field advantage gives the edge to Notre Dame in this one. However, Jeff foresees a win. He must think the Irish will have a letdown after getting throttled by USC the week before, or that they are going to break out those stupid green jerseys.


Central Michigan. Win / Win

Jeff: Central Michigan isn't even the favorite to win their division of the MAC. Some people might be confused because the favorite is another directional Michigan, but I just can't see the Eagles losing to a MAC team that won't even go to the MAC championship game.


at Virginia. Win / Win

Brian: Virginia installs a new offensive scheme this year (the spread) which can only help an offense that finished 105th in total offense in 2008. But UVA doesn't have the personnel to successfully pull off this offense. This team isn't going to start putting up Tulsa numbers overnight, and time seems to be running out for Groh in Charlottesville. While this game is on the road, the difference will be the Boston College defense shutting down the Cav offense. BC should run the 'Hoos off the field with the 1-2 punch of Harris and Haden. Oh yeah, and win this one for Kiwanuka (I don't hold grudges or anything).


North Carolina. Loss / Loss

Jeff: It pains me that we are unanimously against the Eagles here but North Carolina has always had the Eagles' number. Even when they met in the Meineke Car Care Bowl before BC joined the ACC, BC had the superior team but struggled to win the game. Since joining the ACC, UNC has stomped on BC during seasons that Boston College has gone on to have more success. I expect this year to be no different even though the focus of the Chapel Hill fans will already have shifted to basketball before this late November matchup. The Tar Heels will remain the one ACC program that Boston College has failed to beat since joining the conference.


at Maryland. Win / Win

Brian: This game will come down to play in the trenches, and both Maryland's lines are in need of some serious overhauls. The Terps have lost five of their top seven linemen on the offensive side of the ball, and two of four of their starters on the defensive line. Even with Chris Turner and Da'Rel Scott, I don't think the lines will hold long enough to sustain much offense. Boston College will have revenge on their minds for their last trip to Byrd Stadium and roll to their seventh win of the season. The Terps, on the other hand, will finish November with an 0-4 record and losses to NC State, Virginia Tech, Florida State and BC.


Let us recap.

Game	Jeff	Brian
Northeastern	Win	Win
Kent State	Win	Win
at CLEMSON	Win	Loss
WAKE FOREST	Loss	Win
FLORIDA STATE	Win	Loss
at VIRGINIA TECH	Loss	Loss
NORTH CAROLINA STATE	Loss	Win
at Notre Dame	Win	Loss
Central Michigan	Win	Win
at VIRGINIA	Win	Win
NORTH CAROLINA	Loss	Loss
at MARYLAND	Win	Win
Record	8-4 (4-4)	7-5 (4-4)

Food Chain: Ranking The 2009 Schedule

Part of BCI's season preview week.

The 2009 Eagles football season is sure to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Before we reveal our final season predictions tomorrow, we thought it would be useful to rank the Eagles schedule in terms of the toughest victories to come by. Our list and thoughts below. Leave your thoughts on the list in the comment section below.

Food Chain: Toughest 2009 Games


September 5: Boston College vs. Northeastern

Brian: This is the obvious choice for the easiest game of the year. In what will be a glorified exhibition game, the Eagles should roll behind a bruising ground game. I wouldn’t expect much of a passing game and this game will likely resemble last year’s 42-0 beat down of Rhode Island where the Eagles scored 5 touchdowns on the ground and 0 through the air.


September 12: Boston College vs. Kent State

Jeff: For the real BC haters out there this game against Kent State will be our second and last victory of the season. This MAC team showed it was clearly over matched by the Eagles last year in Cleveland when they failed to score and still let BC score 21 points when their offense was not working well at all.


September 19: Boston College at Clemson

Jeff: Are Clemson fans more worried about Boston College or BC fans more worried about Clemson? BC will be 2-0 heading into this game while Clemson might be coming off a loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta where a second loss would pretty much solidify another disappointing season for the Tigers. Clemson is in a similar position to the Eagles on offense because they have CJ Spiller returning which leaves them nothing to worry about in the backfield. However, the Tigers are going with a new quarterback in Kyle Parker who does not have terribly big shoes to fill.


September 26: Boston College vs. Wake Forest

Brian: The Deacons have to take a step back this season, right? I know that Wake Forest will be sound offensively led by senior "it feels like he’s been there for 8 years" quarterback Riley Skinner. But the Deacons seem to have lost just too much talent on the defensive side of the ball to rank this game too high up in pecking order. It is true that you should never count out a Jim Grobe-led team, and Wake Forest has given the Eagles fits at Alumni Stadium over the years, but this game seems to be one of the more winnable ACC games this season. I guess that is saying something.


October 3: Boston College vs. Florida State

Brian: Florida State has owned the Eagles in Chestnut Hill since we joined the ACC (0-2, including ending any hope of a perfect season in 2007) and this season should prove yet again to be one of the toughest outs of the season. Best case scenario for the Eagles is that the ‘Noles limp into Alumni Stadium at 2-2 with losses to Miami and at BYU in September. My fear though is that FSU comes rolling into Boston with the momentum of a 4-0 record.


October 10: Boston College at Virginia Tech

Jeff: Virginia Tech is pretty much unanimously the highest ranked team in the ACC entering the season by everyone covering the conference and college football. Those same writers would probably unanimously rank Blacksburg as the most intimidating road game for ACC opponents. Add those two factors and it does not look good for the Eagles.

Brian: Darren Evans or no Darren Evans, Blacksburg continues to be one of the toughest places to play in the ACC. Beamer will have the Hokies ready for this game and despite an anemic Hokie offense, will likely get the job done yet again on defense and special teams.


October 17: Boston College vs. NC State

Jeff: If Russell Wilson isn't giving you nightmares thinking about the problems quarterbacks of his pedigree have always given BC in the Spaziani era, he will give you nightmares after October 17. If healthy, Wilson gives NC State the chance to win virtually every game on their schedule this season. If he's not healthy, however, NC State will be in for a long disappointing season.


October 24: Boston College at Notre Dame

Brian: Despite what the media pundits would have you believe, this is not the greatest of Irish teams. You’ll see the Irish popping up in preseason Top 25 ballots based more on their strength of schedule than because of the talent they return. Notre Dame will likely have their asses handed to them by USC the week before, so they will be hungry for a win against the Eagles the following week. If the Eagles can get the offense clicking by week eight (they better!), this will be one hell of a game. Not to mention the Eagles always get up for a trip to South Bend. Still, because this game is on the road, I'd say you have to place it in the top half of the toughest games of the year for the Eagles.


October 31: Boston College vs. Central Michigan

Jeff: In most preseason rankings Central Michigan is either right above or right below BC. Central Michigan is perhaps the most well-known team in the MAC as a respectable, bowl-bound program. And with Dan LeFevour returning at quarterback, they are going to be tough to beat and hopefully will not be overlooked by the players simply because of the conference they are from.


November 14: Boston College at Virginia

Brian: The Cavaliers may very well be 3-6 or 4-5 going into this game and might even be without their head coach. With a 3-6 record including a loss to Duke at home, the Virginia AD may have already started looking in a different direction for the program’s head coach. Even though this game is on the road, Virginia doesn’t scare me all that much. Offense will be a big question for the 'Hoos starting at the quarterback position. And because of the uncertainty at quarterback, I’m less concerned about this game than I am about, say, the Central Michigan game.


November 21: Boston College vs. North Carolina

Brian: Butch Davis should have his team ready for a late season surge against Duke, Miami Fla., Boston College and NC State. I wouldn’t expect a late-season collapse from the Heels like last season. UNC will be in the hunt for the Coastal Division crown and their last two games against the Atlantic Division’s Eagles and Wolfpack will go a long way to determining whether they should challenge Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami for the title.


November 28: Boston College at Maryland

Jeff: Is BC going to a bowl game this year? It's entirely possible that their postseason fate will come down to the final game of the season at Maryland. Maryland returns their starting quarterback, a Meggett and Da'Rel Scott at tailback, not to mention several other players. However, the Terps do lose the top 10 WR they had in Darrius Heyward-Bey. If Maryland couldn't be successful through the air with Heyward-Bey, how will they be without him? Too much of their offensive success came off of running reverses to Heyward-Bey or other gimmicky plays that his speed allowed. It will be interesting to see how much success, if any, the Maryland offense has this year.


Jeff's Food Chain
12. vs. Northeastern
11. vs. Kent State
10. vs. Central Michigan
9. at Virginia
8. at Maryland
7. at Notre Dame
6. vs. Wake Forest
5. at Clemson
4. vs. Florida State
3. vs. NC State
2. vs. North Carolina
1. at Virginia Tech

Brian's Food Chain
12. vs. Northeastern
11. vs. Kent State
10. at Virginia
9. vs. Central Michigan
8. vs. Wake Forest
7. at Maryland
6. at Notre Dame
5. vs. NC State
4. vs. North Carolina
3. at Clemson
2. vs. Florida State
1. at Virginia Tech

Over/Under: 09 College Football Preview SEC

Brian: Next up on our preview of the BCS conferences is the $2.25 billion dollar industry known as the S-E-C.

Our previous BCS conference previews: Pac 10, Big XII, Big Ten, Big East

For reference, here is a composite prediction of how the experts think God's Conference will play out this season:

SEC East
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky

SEC West
1. Alabama
2. Louisiana State
3. Mississippi
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State


First up, Over/Under - 7 regular season wins for South Carolina

Brian: I simply don’t see things getting any better for Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks this season. Last season’s 7 regular season wins seems to be a bit of a ceiling for South Carolina. The non-conference schedule doesn’t do South Carolina any favors with two ACC programs book-ending the season along with Florida Atlantic and South Carolina State. I wouldn’t expect a repeat of South Carolina’s 34-0 beatdown of NC State to start the season, especially with this year’s tilt at Carter-Finley Stadium and even with Clemson at home, I see the Tigers continuing their recent dominance over their intra-state rivals. Assuming that South Carolina goes 2-2 out of conference, I would need them then to go 5-3 in conference just to push and 6-2 for the over. Last season’s four SEC wins came at Ole Miss and Kentucky and at home vs. Tennessee and Arkansas. This season they have to travel to Knoxville and Fayetteville, and both Tennessee and Arkansas should be vastly improved from a season ago. Ole Miss will be better. I don’t see USC going any better than 2-2 in those games. Tack on losses at Alabama, at Georgia, Florida. I’m fairly confident in the under (-200) here. Maybe, maybe South Carolina gets to 6 wins and goes bowling, but that’s about it this season. Yes, Spurrier will get more consistent quarterback play from sophomore Stephen Garcia, but there are still lots of question marks on the offensive line – an O-line that gave up the second most sacks in the SEC last season. Take the under here for easy money.

Jeff: This is my local team you are talking about, Brian, and you hit the nail on the head. The Gamecocks will NOT win more than 7 games. Take the under (-200) here and the worst you'll do is get your money back at the end of the season. I have talked to people who have attended some of their practices and they say USC look worse than last year. Not only does Smelley continue to get into off the field issues but they also play in an extremely tough division. If they lose to NC State to start the season, it will be tough for the Gamecocks to go bowling again.


Over/Under - 7 regular season wins for Tennessee

Jeff: I like Tennessee to bounce back this year, make some noise in the SEC and get some wins against ranked opponents this year. But as far as their prospect of getting to 8 wins, I don't like it. Tennessee doesn't play any major powers out of conference but UCLA could knock them off and depending on how things go, Memphis could prove to be a tough game. In SEC play they unfortunately have to travel to Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss. That's 3 preseason Top 10 teams on the road. What a brutal schedule. Since I have to make a pick here I'll take the under (-165) but if we were playing with real money I'd stay away from this bet entirely.

Brian: This is a tough call as there are a ton of unknowns going into the beginning of the Lane Kiffin era in Knoxville. I'm fairly certain the Vols will improve on last year's 5-7 record but by just how many games is the million dollar question. The bright spots for the Volunteers will be All-American junior safety Eric Berry. The weaknesses will be in the linebacking corps and in the offensive skill positions. But the Tennessee offense can't possibly be worse than it was last year. Giving a cursory glance over the Vol schedule, I would predict a 7-5, 4-4 SEC season for Kiffin in his first year. Wins in non-conference play against Western Kentucky, Memphis and Ohio, and conference wins over Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina and Auburn. But since pushing is unmanly, I'll hesitantly take the under (-165) here and predict that either South Carolina or Auburn take care of the Vols in Knoxville. 6-6, 3-5 in the SEC in Kiffin's first season, and the Vols return to the postseason.


Over/Under - 7 1/2 regular season wins for Auburn

Brian: I have no doubt that Auburn will turn it around eventually, but I think the faithful on the Plains can’t expect monumental change to come in one season. And turning a 5-7, 2-6 season into an 8-4, 5-3 season in a single year is what I would consider monumental change. I went to an Auburn game last season right when the wheels were starting to fall off the Tommy Tuberville train, and Auburn dropped 6 of their last 7 games to end the season with their only win coming against I-AA Tennessee-Martin. Chizik will face the same sorts of problems that led to Tuberville’s departure – trying to fit a square peg (a spread offense) into a round hole (players traditionally recruited to run the power-I). It might get better with new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, but his new system will take time to develop. Quarterback is equally as much of a question, with Chris Todd and Kodi Burns stinking up the joint last season (I ended up seeing both in the 25-22 loss to Arkansas). Throw in Neil Caudle and much like the Eagles, I’m not sure we’ll have a Tiger starting QB named until very late in August. To expect 8 or more wins for the Tigers this season is simply too many. Three non-conference gimmes (Louisiana Tech, Ball State, Furman) and a home game against Kentucky seem to be the only locks for Ws this season. Auburn has a tough non-conference opponent in West Virginia coming to Jordan-Hare on September 19, and could foreseeably go 0-4 on the road in the SEC this season (Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia). Throw in tough home games against Alabama and Ole Miss, and the under (-220) seems to be the EASY, easy choice for Auburn this season.

Jeff: Predicting that Auburn will win 8 games this season is a tough thing to do. Tough even though I do expect significant improvement over last season with the Tigers getting back to a bowl game this year. Ole Miss and Alabama are both ranked high entering the season in the SEC West and they also travel to Athens and Morgantown in out of conference play. I see a lot of wins on Auburn's schedule to get them to the six they need for bowl eligibility but to predict 8+ is just impossible given their incredible struggles last season. Under (-220).


Over/Under - 8 1/2 regular season wins for Georgia

Jeff: Georgia will most likely go 6-2 in SEC play this year. But the Bulldogs have, by far, one of the most interesting non-conference schedules of any BCS team this year. Because of that tough non-conference schedule, UGA aren't a lock to reach 9 or 10 wins and go over. Among their games against Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Georgia Tech, will they go 3-0, 2-1, 1-2??? Given that Georgia will be breaking in a new quarterback, a new running back, and that crazy non-conference schedule ... I think you have to take the under here (-110) and expect Georgia to lose a game or two along the way to a team they should normally beat.

Brian: You are right Jeff. In predicting this line, the focus should be on Georgia's non-conference schedule. I have to give the Bulldogs credit though. After spending years in the friendly confines of the Peach state, snacking on I-AAs and Sunbelt teams between the hedges, UGA went out and scheduled a damn fine slate of non-conference games this season. So good, in fact, that is considered by some to be one of the toughest schedules in the BCS. The Bulldogs start the season in Stillwater against a top 25 squad in Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs also scheduled Arizona State, and go to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech at the end of the season. The problem, as you alluded to, is that Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno aren't walking through that door. A year ago, Georgia was a mythical national championship contender. A 10-3, 6-2 SEC finish was actually a disappointment for Bulldog nation. If the Athens faithful thought 10 wins was a disappointment last season, they aren't going to like what they get from UGA this season. I'll predict that Georgia loses at least 2 of their 4 non-conference games (in all liklihood at Oklahoma State and at Georgia Tech). In addition, I'll predict the Bulldogs go 6-2 at best in SEC play with losses to Florida (yes, again) and LSU. There are plenty of other trap games on the sched this year including September 19 at Arkansas (who UGA didn't face last season) and October 10 at Tennessee. Go with the under (-110) here. Georgia won't go any better than 8-4 this season.


Over/Under - 8 1/2 regular season wins for LSU

Brian: This is an extremely interesting line. An over here would mean a two game improvement from last season’s 3-5 SEC finish. I’ll assume for a moment that LSU coasts through their non-conference schedule of UL Lafayette, Tulane, Louisiana Tech and a road trip to Seattle (Washington) and gets to 4-0 just as they did last year. So then the Tigers have to turn two SEC losses in 2008 to two wins in 2009. Only two of LSU’s five SEC losses came on the road, and it’s questionable whether the Tigers can take down Florida at home this season. Let’s assume that LSU will turn the Arkansas game from a loss to a win, which leaves me looking for one more SEC W. The most likely candidates then are the road trips to Athens or Tuscaloosa, as I expect both Georgia and Alabama to take a bit of a step back this season. Not to mention the Alabama game was lost in overtime last season. Overall, I like LSU’s chances to get back on track this season, win at least 9 games and be in the running to take the SEC West crown after a one-year hiatus from being unstoppable. Go with the over here (+100) and expect LSU to challenge Ole Miss and Alabama for the West division crown.

Jeff: Brian finds this line fascinating while I find it easy money. Like he said, LSU should go 4-0 in non-conference play so 5-3 in the SEC would get the Tigers to 9-3. LSU was down last year but when you have the opportunity to make money off a team that has two recent national championships by only winning 9 games, you take it!! OVER OVER OVER (+100) and don't look back.


Over/Under - 9 regular season wins for Ole Miss

Jeff: As indicated by our preliminary preseason blogpoll ballot, we are high on Ole Miss this season. Even though I have the Rebels lower in my blogpoll ballot than Brian, there is no way this team wins 8 games or less this year. Over (-130).

Brian: Yes, we are high on the Rebels, but with good reason. The Rebels finished last season on a 6 game winning streak, including wins at LSU and vs. Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. Junior QB and Texas transfer Jevan Snead looks poised to have another outstanding year under center should the offensive line gel. Whether right or wrong, preseason polls are becoming as much about who you play as they are about the talent you return. Mississippi's 2009 schedule is THE weakest in the SEC and one of these weakest for a BCS conference team (77 of 120 to be specific, according to Phil Steele). Only my Northwestern (85) and Rutgers (106) have a weaker preseason strength of schedule. Two I-AA teams (SE Louisiana and Northern Arizona), two 'meh' Conference-USA teams (at Memphis and UAB), and two of their toughest SEC West opponents have to come to Oxford (Alabama and LSU). Not to mention Ole Miss misses both Florida and Georgia and instead gets Tennessee, South Carolina and Tennessee from the other side of the conference. To win less than 9 wins this season would be a HUGE disappointment. Some might point to last year's preseason media darlings like Georgia or Clemson and say the same fate awaits Mississippi this season, but I just don't see it. The talent is there and the schedule so weak that Ole Miss should be playing in their first SEC Championship Game come December. Over (-130).


Over/Under - 9 1/2 regular season wins for Alabama

Brian: Much like the LSU line, I find the Bama line extremely interesting this year. Alabama benefits greatly from missing both Florida and Georgia from the other side of the conference this season. I’m not going to expect a repeat of last season’s 12-0 start, especially with the departure of John Parker Wilson and questions on the offensive line. Still, the Bama defense should be filthy with nine of twelve starters back in 2009. For me, this line comes down to whether I think Alabama can win at least one of their three games against marquee opponents this season, including the Chick-Fil-A College Kickoff against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, a road trip to Oxford against Ole Miss in October, and a November 7 home date against LSU. Not only will they have to take 1 of those 3 games, but they’ll also have to avoid getting tripped up against the rest of the SEC and in non-conference play. If there is anything we learned from recent history, it’s that even the games against FIU, North Texas and Chattanooga aren’t 100% gimmes (cough: UL-Monroe). A lot of magazines and prognosticators have Bama in their preseason top 5, but for some reason I’m higher on Ole Miss or LSU’s chances to win the SEC West this season. I’ll take the under (-175) assuming that a 9-3 season or worse is much more likely than 10-2 or better.

Jeff: I expect Alabama to regress from last year, at least in terms of total number of wins. Despite losing the SEC Championship and the Sugar Bowl, Alabama still won 12 games last year in a perfect regular season campaign. This year, however, there is no way the Tide get to twelve wins again. Since I'm an ACC guy, I'll protect the shield and count the Virginia Tech game as a loss for them. But once conference play hits, the good news, as Brian points out, is that Alabama misses both Florida and Georgia from the SEC East. So getting to 10 wins mostly comes down to splitting the LSU and Ole Miss games. I like their odds of doing that so without any other missteps in conference play they would get to 10-2. But, this is the SEC so I feel sure someone will trip them up this year now that they have a huge target on their backs. An upset loss in the SEC brings them back down to 9-3. But then again, Brian took the under here and I have not gone back on my never failing logic of Brian typically being wrong with these things and I will take the OVER (+125)!!!


Last one, Over/Under - 11 regular season wins for Florida

Jeff: Is it more likely that Florida will win them all or lose two games? I am going to say that it is more likely that the fighting Tim Tebows run the table than lose two game even though the most likely scenario is that they lose one game again and push with 11 wins. Over (-120).

Brian: While I won't discount the possibility of a loss or two on the Gators schedule this season (a la 31-30 at home vs. Ole Miss last season), you simply can't ignore the facts here.

1. The Gators are loaded with talent, not only on offense but more importantly, on the defensive side of the ball. Every defensive member of the Gator's two-deep roster returns, and that was a defense that ranked first in the SEC for scoring defense. Yikes.
2. The schedule is manageable, particularly in non-conference play where all four of their games are at home (Charleston Southern, Troy, FIU, Florida State). The Gators also miss Alabama and Ole Miss this season from the SEC West.

There are definitely trap games on the schedule, including Arkansas October 17 and Florida State on November 28, but until proven otherwise, the champs are still the champs. Take the over (-120) and expect to see the Gators in both the SEC Championship Game and BCS Championship.


No lines on Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, or Arkansas.


Your thoughts?

ACC Roundtable 1: Preseason Edition

The Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation is hosting the football season's first ACC roundtable discussion. We did our best to answer his questions about Boston College as did other ACC bloggers representing (hopefully) 11 of the 12 programs. Over the next few days, Tomahawk Nation will post a wrap-up of all the participating blogs' answers.

Here are TN's questions and our answers:


Will your team be better than last year, why or why not? Will it show in the record, why or why not?

BC will likely be better on the offensive side of the ball and worse on the defense side. Overall, this is probably a net loss. Unfortunately, this will show in the Eagles' final record. Notre Dame has a better chance of beating the Eagles this year (the game in South Bend). Our game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is nearly a sure loss, and it's difficult to find definite wins on our ACC schedule. A record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) is likely a best, best case scenario with anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4 a possibility. In all liklihood the Eagles won't surpass their 2008 win total.


The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which guys did your team lose and how will you replace them if you can? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

I don't know if you can call it an injury per se, but obviously the biggest void for the Eagles to fill this season is in the linebacking corps with the loss of All-American Mark Herzlich. Add to this the uncertainty of when Mike McLaughlin will return from tearing his Achilles back in March, and the Eagles will need newcomers to step up at linebacker. The Eagles will look to sophomores Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson to fill the holes left by Herzlich and McLaughlin. Spaz will likely also rotate in redshirt freshmen Alex DiSanzo and Nick Clancy as well as senior Kevin Distaso. Of that group, however, only Will Thompson has significant experience as he played behind Robert Francois. These Eagles will hopefully step up, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to completely fill the void left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.

Incumbent starting quarterback Dominique Davis leaving for academic reasons might actually be a blessing in disguise. This allowed the Eagles to go out and recruit another quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who appears to be the front-runner for the starting position. Also, where Jeff Jagodzinski and Steve Logan favored more of the duel-threat style quarterback (Davis and Tuggle), early it appears Frank Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill favor more of the traditional, pro-style quarterback (Shinskie, Marscovetra, Rettig, Bordner).

Less importantly, it would have been nice to see WR Clarence Megwa back in pads during the Eagles opening practices, however Megwa injured his right hand and has had to sit out of practice. If Megwa can get back on the field, he will join a talented wide receiving corps that has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference (provided the starting QB can get them the ball). Still, we are glad Megwa is back and has recovered from a fairly gruesome broken leg injury suffered vs. Clemson last season. Again, if the QB can get the receivers the ball, I would expect big things from seniors Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa and Justin Jarvis. Hopefully, Ifeanyi Momah will step up and serve as more than a goal-line, possession receiver.


Which existing player (or group of players) must step their game up in order for your team to over-achieve?

Without a doubt, the preseason focus is on the starting quarterback position. We will only go as far as our starting quarterback will take us. Right now, the candidates are trying to shake off the rust in practice as no QB has any FBS game experience.

The Eagles proved last year that they could make noise in the ACC simply by having a competent, game-managing quarterback. If David Shinskie (or Tuggle/Marscovetra) can manage the game and not lose games a la Chris Crane, the Eagles will likely live up to or slightly surpass their preseason expectations. However, the starting quarterback will have to step up their game and be even better than Crane was last season if Eagles fans expect the team to overachieve this season. There are too many questions on the defensive side of the ball this season. To overachieve, BC will have to win the games they won last year with defense (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech round 1, Florida State) with their offense.

Five Good Minutes: ACC & SEC Blog

Shameless self-promotion: about a week or two ago, we sat down with the guys at the ACC & SEC Blog to answer some questions about the Eagles upcoming football season. In addition to selling them the exclusive rights to our BC season prediction (we'll have a more in-depth breakdown of said predictions over the next two weeks), you can check out our answers to their questions here.

In addition to previewing Boston College, the ACC & SEC Blog has also been previewing each of the ACC teams by asking bloggers from each program to weigh in on the state of their football program. Be sure to check out their season previews of these Eagle 2009 opponents:

• Sep 19: Clemson Tigers (Jeff Fann at All About Sports)
  
• Oct 17: NC State Wolfpack (Allen Lopp from B/R)
• Nov 14: Virginia Cavaliers (From Old Virginia)
• Nov 28: Maryland Terrapins (Turtle Droppings)

Be sure to check back with the ACC & SEC Blog guys as they continue to preview the rest of BC's ACC opponents throughout the month of August.

ACC Blogger Preseason Ballot Results

The blogosphere has spoken and apparently this year we contribute little more to the conversation than what the mainstream media predicted. The only difference between this year's media picks and the ACC blogger picks was a flip-flop of Miami and North Carolina in the Coastal standings. On second thought, perhaps that fact is significant given all the Virginia Tech voters and their disdain for da U.

It's also clear that the weight of preseason expectations has shifted from the Atlantic to the Coastal Division this year, with Virginia Tech the overwhelming pick to three-peat, Jonathan Dwyer the offensive player of the year and Jason Worilds the defensive player of the year.

Gobbler Country has the complete breakdown of this year's poll participants and results.


Predicted Standings

Atlantic Division

1. Florida State (12)
2. Clemson (3)
3. NC State (2)
4. Wake Forest (1)
5. Maryland
6. Boston College

Coastal Division

1. Virginia Tech (13)
2. Georgia Tech (4)
3. Miami (1)
4. North Carolina
5. Virginia
6. Duke

Conference Champion

1. Virginia Tech - 10
2. Georgia Tech - 4
3. Florida State - 2
4. Clemson - 1
4. Miami - 1

Offensive Player of the Year

1. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech - 10
2. C.J. Spiller, Clemson - 6
3. Darren Evans, Virginia Tech - 1
4. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest - 1

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech - 4
2. Dekota Watson, Florida State - 3
3. Sean Spence, Miami - 2
3. Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina - 2
5. DaQuan Bowers, Clemson - 1
5. Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech - 1
5. Kam Chancellor - Virginia Tech - 1
5. Mark Herzlich, Boston College - 1
5. Stephan Virgil, Virginia Tech - 1
5. Alex Wujciak, Maryland - 1
5. Willie Young, NC State - 1

Rookie of the Year

1. Greg Reid, Florida State - 2
1. Kyle Parker, Clemson - 2
1. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech - 2
4. Josh Adams, North Carolina - 1
4. Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech - 1
4. Ray Ray Armstrong, Miami - 1
4. Tajh Boyd, Clemson - 1
4. Justin Dixon, North Carolina - 1
4. Dustin Hopkins, Florida State - 1
4. Jacobbi McDaniel, Florida State - 1
4. Brandon McGee, Miami - 1
4. Donte Moss, North Carolina - 1
4. Desmond Scott, Duke - 1
4. Jamal Womble, North Carolina - 1
4. No vote - 1

Over/Under: 09 College Football Preview Big East

Brian: Next up on our preview of the BCS conferences is the Big East. Yeah, I don't miss it that much either.

Our previous BCS conference previews: Pac 10, Big XII, Big Ten

For reference, here is a composite prediction of how the experts think the Big East will shake down this season:

1. West Virginia
2. Pittsburgh
3. Rutgers
4. Cincinnati
5. South Florida
6. Connecticut
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse

After last season where Cincinnati came out of left field and took home their first Big East football championship, West Virginia is back on top of the preseason rankings. But do Bill Stewart and the Mountaineers have enough pieces left post-White to reclaim their stranglehold on the Big East crown?

Good things are expected of Rutgers and Pittsburgh, while looks like Connecticut will be counting down the days to Midnight Madness. The plane has officially crashed into the Kragthorpe mountain at Louisville, while Syracuse's preseason predictions from every major college football prognosticator is consistent: unanimous suckage. More the same from the Orange?

The most important question though is who will win the conference and take their Orange Bowl Hokie beatdown in stride?



First up, Over/Under – 6 1/2 regular season wins for Connecticut

Brian: Not much is expected of Connecticut in the Big East this year, which is music to my ears. Not only are expectations low for the Huskies this season in conference, but UConn didn’t do themselves any favors this year with their non-conference schedule. Right now, I see 3-4 guaranteed wins (at Ohio, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Louisville) but after that, I’m struggling to scrounge up some more wins for Edsall’s crew. A home game against North Carolina and trips to Baylor and Notre Dame look like losses to me at this point. UConn has more home games than road games in the Big East this season, which is a plus, but the downside is that they have to travel to three of the best teams in the Big East (including defending champs Cincinnati, West Virginia and Pittsburgh). Even if they manage to steal one of these Big East games on the road, it’s not a given that they can take care of both Rutgers or South Florida at home. I have the Huskies going 2-3 out of conference and as a “best, best case scenario” 4-3 in the Big East. More realistically it will be 3-4 or 2-5 in the Big East, so I’ll confidently go with the under here (-200) and not make too much cash on this one.

Jeff: The Huskies, somewhat similar to BC but on a much smaller stage, have surpassed expectations year after year and Randy Edsall is a good coach so I am going over (+160) here.


Over/Under – 7 1/2 regular season wins for Pittsburgh

Jeff: Pitt has a pretty legitimate non-conference schedule this year where they face NC State, Notre Dame, MAC Champion Buffalo and Navy. They might end up being slight favorites in all four of those so I think 3-1 is a most likely scenario. Add in one gimme against Youngstown State and they go 4-1 out of conference. From there they only need to win 4 Big East games which for a team in the preseason top 25, is not asking much. You should take the over (-165) here with reasonable confidence because even if they lose 2 OOC games they can still easily win 5 in conference.

Brian: Even though Pitt has creeped in to some preseason Top 25 polls, I’m not sold. You only have to look at our preseason blogpoll ballot from last season to caution you to use preseason polls as an indicator of future success. Cough. Auburn. Cough, cough. Clemson.

The Panthers enter the fifth season under head coach Dave Wannstedt, but the results have been mixed at best (25-23). Pittsburgh goes into this season with plenty of question marks on offense, including quarterback and running back (with the loss of LeSean McCoy), as well as breaking in a new offensive coordinator. Given all the question marks on offense, I have to expect a bit of a drop off from last season’s 9 game win total. The Panthers will have time to get off to a fast start with wins over Youngstown State and Buffalo, but Navy should at least give the Panthers a game, and I expect Pitt’s road trip to Raleigh to be an unsuccessful one. That’s probably 3 wins, and I would need 5 to go over. I’ll give Pitt the benefit of the doubt against Louisville, Connecticut, Rutgers and Syracuse, but the Panthers finish the season with Notre Dame, at West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and vs. Cincinnati. I think this one will come down to the October 24 game against perennial underachiever South Florida. Win that game and the Panthers go over. Lose and I think it will be a 7-5, 4-3 season for Pitt. The difference I think will be South Florida’s offense under senior Matt Grothe, so I’ll take the under (+135), although I wouldn’t be surprised if Pitt gets to 8. This one is a toss up in my mind.


Over/Under – 8 regular season wins for South Florida

Brian: Speaking of South Florida ... Bull talent returns in the form of senior QB Matt Grothe and All-American DE George Selvie. While the talent is certainly there, it’s hard to get too excited about a team that started off 6-1 last season only to limp to a 1-4 regular season finish. That 1-4 mark down the stretch included a 24-20 loss at punch-less Louisville. The Bulls will get out of the gate at 3-0 with wins over Wofford, at Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern, but that will be counterbalanced with two losses at Florida State and at home to Miami Fla (but props to USF for scheduling some tough, in-state ACC competition). To go over, that would mean USF would nearly run the table in the Big East, and I just don’t see that happening. Although they are both home games, I’m predicting that both Cincinnati and West Virginia will take care of South Florida, and a trip to Rutgers in mid-November could just as easily be a loss (the Scarlet Knights handed the Bulls a 49-16 beat down in Tampa a year ago). A push would not surprise me, but I think it’s more likely that USF goes 4-3 (or worse) in conference rather than 5-2 so I’ll take the under (-120).

Jeff: You talked about the two high profile players returning to South Florida this season, but you took the under? Last season was a disappointment for the team which could've easily won the Big East in a year when WVU tripped up a little. But now the great players are gone at WVU and the league is theirs for the taking once again. I'm going to put the Miami and FSU games down as losses even though there's a chance they could steal one of those games. Then like you said all they need to do is go 5-2 in the Big LEAST. USF may very well win the league this year so why wouldn't you take them to go 6-1 or 5-2. I like the over (-110) here and will be happy to take your money.


Over/Under – 8 regular season wins for Rutgers

Jeff: Rutgers has an interesting line here at 8 when they have 4 gimmes in non-conference play. Then let's say they should be able to beat Syracuse and Louisville this year and lose at West Virginia and Maryland. This leaves them 6-2 with four toss-up type games left. But since I am more of a Rutgers hater than a Rutgers fan, I going to go ahead and put their season opener against Cincinnati down as a loss leaving them 6-3 with three toss-ups left. Those remaining games are against better coached teams - that's right - better coached teams in UConn, South Florida, and Pitt. I like taking the under especially when it's +160. The worst I'll do on this one is push.

Brian: Yes, Rutgers is hot, coming off finishing last season with 7 straight wins including stopping an equally hot NC State team in the Pizza Bowl. However, gone are Mike Teel and Kenny Britt, two of the most prolific offensive players in Rutgers history. There are plenty of questions on offense, including who will start under center. The front runner, fifth year senior Domenic Natale, threw for a whopping 36 yards last season (but hey, I guess that is 36 more yards that BC quarterbacks threw for last season). Offensive questions aside, Rutgers might have the biggest joke of a 12-game football schedule in the history of a BCS conference program. Seriously. Out of conference superpowers Howard, Florida International and Texas Southern visit Rutgers Stadium, and the Scarlet Knights also travel to Maryland and Army. I don’t think much of the Terps chances this season, so that’s 5-0. Easy. From there, a 4-3 finish in the Big East is more than possible, as Rutgers’ toughest Big East opponents all come to Piscataway – Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida and West Virginia. Three trips to Big East bottom feeders Syracuse, Louisville and Connecticut should be three more Ws, and I’ll easily give 1 of 4 of their Big East home games to RU for their 9th win. There’s a reason the over is -230 here, since I’m sure you could find I-AA teams that have a tougher SOS than Rutgers. Rutgers easily goes 9-3 or 10-2 so take the over (-230), but don’t expect me to have Rutgers anywhere near my Top 25 blogpoll ballot, EVEN if they finish 10-2. I’m not kidding. Why reward a team for beating 5 crappy non-conference teams and going 5-2 in the Big East?


Last one, Over/Under – 8 1/2 regular season wins for West Virginia

Brian: Even with Pat White gone, the Mountaineers should coast to either 6-1 or 7-0 to start the season with wins over Liberty, Syracuse, Marshall, Connecticut, Auburn and one of East Carolina/Colorado at home. The second half of the season should determine whether West Virginia can regain the Big East title, as they travel to South Florida, Cincinnati and Rutgers, and play Pittsburgh and Louisville at home. I like WVU to go no worse than 3-2 in those games and if I had to chose, I’d give them Ws over South Florida, Louisville and Pittsburgh. That’s 9 including 5 Big East wins. Go with the over here (-110), but an under with the Mountaineers finishing 8-4 would not surprise me. Anything less than 8 wins for Bill Stewart and the Mountaineers, though, and I would be SHOCKED!

Jeff: I very much disagree that Auburn is a win for West Virginia. Sure Auburn had a tough year last year but they will bounce back while the Mountaineers have slid. Also, East Carolina is a legitimate threat and Colorado is another improving team. So what you see as 6-1 at worst I see as 5-2 at best. Then in the rest of their Big East play, West Virginia is likely to split the games games against Pittsburgh, South Florida, Rutgers and Cincinnati. I'm already up to four losses for the Mountaineers. Not to mention West Virginia is also the team with a target on their back in the Big East so you never know if another team will take the opportunity to kick them while they're down and provide an upset. Under (-120).


Brian: Surprisingly, no line on this site for Cincinnati, as well as - more predictably - no lines for Louisville and Syracuse. And looking back, Jeff and I disagreed on every Big East team this year. Should have labeled this segment good cop / bad cop.

2009 ACC Blogger Preseason Predictions

For the second straight year, the Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country is polling the ACC blogosphere for some preseason predictions:

• Predicted order of finish for both divisions (no ties please)
• Conference champion
• Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
  
• Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
  
• Preseason Rookie of the Year
  

This year, unlike last year, we are assured that there is adequate Atlantic Division representation so it won't be another Coastal Division tongue-bath. We hope, anyway.

On to our ballot (and note, we retain the rights to change these predictions between now and our series of season preview posts later in August).

ACC Atlantic

1. Florida State
   
2. Clemson
   
3. Boston College - Some are quick to forget that this is still a defensive league and despite the losses we still have one of the best. Plus, NC State and Wake have to come to us. We'll get our Ws, don't worry about it.
   
4. NC State
   
5. Wake Forest
6. Maryland

ACC Coastal

1. Virginia Tech - not 100% sold on Hokies, certainly won’t be dominant and has little-to-no shot at the MNC with that non-conference sched, but until someone proves otherwise ...
2. Miami (Fla.)
   
3. Georgia Tech
   
4. North Carolina
   
5. Duke
6. Virginia

Predicted ACC Championship Game Winner: Virginia Tech (yeah, it pains me too)
Offensive Player of the Year: C.J. Spiller (he'll be scoring TDs on the reg. Atlantic Division. Represent.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Herzlich (yes, I know he's not playing this year. Doesn't matter. He's that good.)
Rookie of the Year: Desmond Scott, RB, Duke (who knows. As Russell Wilson proved last year, an injury here or an injury there could thrust some no-name rookie into the spotlight in a hurry.)

BONUS: Coach of the Year: David Cutcliffe (Triples ACC win total in year 2. Six wins but no bowl for the Dukies.)

Headlines: 2009 ACC Preseason Media Predictions

Brian: Despite never finishing worse than 2nd in the Atlantic Division over the past four seasons, and despite having won 2 ACC Atlantic Division crowns outright and sharing a third in our first four seasons in the league, Boston College continues to move backwards in the preseason media football predictions.

The 2009 Eagles were selected by the media to finish 6th in the ACC Atlantic as part of the ACC Football Kickoff festivities this week. Here is the complete preseason media poll results:

Atlantic Division

1. Florida State (56)
2. Clemson (14)
3. NC State (10)
4. Wake Forest (7)
5. Maryland
6. Boston College

Coastal Division

1. Virginia Tech (78)
2. Georgia Tech (9)
3. North Carolina
4. Miami
5. Virginia
6. Duke

First place votes in parentheses.

ACC Championship Game Winner: Virginia Tech (69 votes)

Is this new news? No, definitely not. Will this be used as bulletin board material? Maybe a little, says Matt Tennant.

"It's sort of the mentality that we have now," said Tennant. "Nobody is really counting us into anything, and that's fine. We'll talk about that at the end of the season."

Here's how the Eagles have stacked up against the ACC preseason media predictions from 2005-2009.

Eagles ACC Preseason Predictions and Results, 2005-2009

Year	Prev. Season	Place	Prediction	Finish	Place
2005	9-3 (4-2)	T-1st Big East	2nd	9-3 (5-3)	T-1st
2006	9-3 (5-3)	T-1st	3rd	10-3 (5-3)	T-2nd
2007	10-3 (5-3)	T-2nd	2nd	11-3 (6-2)	1st
2008	11-3 (6-2)	1st	4th	9-5 (5-3)	1st
2009	9-5 (5-3)	1st	6th	???	???

Over/Under: 09 College Football Preview Big Ten

Brian: Next up on our preview of the BCS conferences is the Big Ten, the redheaded stepchild of BCS football conferences that I am forced to show a mild interest in since I'm attending Northwestern this year.

Our previous BCS conference previews: Pac 10, Big XII

For reference, here is a composite prediction of how the experts think the Big Ten will shake down this season:

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Michigan State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Michigan
7. Wisconsin
8. Northwestern
9. Minnesota
10. Purdue
11. Indiana

Who will emerge from the Big Ten this season, only to get their annual beatdown at the hands of USC in the Rose Bowl or the champion of God's Conference in the BCS National Championship game? Who will be this year's Daniel Murray, the Hawkeyes field goal kicker that put the rest of college football out of their misery by preventing a third straight Big Ten slaughter in the BCS National Championship game?



First up, Over/Under – 6 regular season wins for Michigan

Brian: Wow. How the mighty have fallen. I don’t think Wolverine fans can be too thrilled with an over/under line set at a mediocre 6-6. Hopefully for Michigan fans, though, the bottom fell out with last season’s 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten debacle. That 3-9 record included going 1-3 out of conference, losing to Utah at home in the opener, getting beat up in South Bend 35-17 and getting shocked by a 2-6 MAC team. At home. In front of 100,000+. So how does Rich Rodriguez and bump up the win total by 4 games from a year ago? Water down the out of conference schedule! UM has done precisely that this season. This year, Michigan gets two directional Michigan teams (and not the best of the three in Central Michigan), Notre Dame and I-AA Delaware State – all in the Big House. Last year’s Toledo game gives me pause, but let’s say for sake of argument that Michigan comes out of the out of conference portion of their schedule at a healthy 3-1.

That leaves me looking for 4 wins on their Big Ten sched … which I just can’t do. I can’t. Their Big Ten road sched is formidable, with the Wolverines having to travel to Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. All likely losses. At home in Big Ten play I see Michigan going 2-2, with wins over Indiana and Purdue, and losses to Penn State and Ohio State (yet again). (It certainly doesn’t help Michigan that they miss both Minnesota and Northwestern this season. Well, at least Minnesota. I actually expect Northwestern to be competitive this season. But I digress.) That gets me to 5-7 in a best case scenario. Even with an eight game home schedule, I only see UM winning 5 games at most, and losing all of their road contests. I will go with the under here (+165) with a fair degree of confidence, although it wouldn’t shock me if Michigan plays in a bowl and pushes on this line.

Jeff: It's very tempting to push this one but I will not. I am going over here. Michigan can go 4-0 in out of conference play. If they do, they easily go over. Michigan could go 2-2 on the road in the Big Ten. If they do they easily go over. Finally, Michigan could easily go 3-1 on the road in the Big Ten. If they do any one of these three things they cover the over. I see 7-5 for Michigan because they have plenty of toss up games on their schedule and they could even get to 8 or 9 wins. Over (-185).


Over/Under – 7 1/2 regular season wins for Illinois

Jeff: Illinois plays an interesting out of conference schedule where they only have one guaranteed win in Illinois State. Missouri, Fresno State and Cincinnati are all potential losses but it's here that determines where you go with this pick. If Illinois goes 4-0 in non-conference play then 8 wins seems to be a very strong pick if not a done deal. But Cincinnati won the Big East and Missouri won the Big XII North last year so would saying Illinois goes 4-0 out of conference be a little aggressive? No. This is not 2008 we're talking about and I do think 4-0 for Illinois in non-conference play is how things will shake out. It is not an extremely confident pick but I am going OVER (-150) for Illinois.

Brian: Hard to predict 8 or more wins for an Illinois team that went 5-7 a year ago, missing out on going bowling. It’s also hard to believe this is the same team that two years ago made a Rose Bowl appearance (and subsequently got dismantled by USC as the Illini had no business being in that game). The Illini will certainly put up some points with QB Juice Williams and WR Arrelious Benn (67 catches, 1,000+ yards) leading the way. But arguably the defense will be worse than it was last year. The schedule this year is fairly front loaded. Illinois starts with the Arch Rivalry against Missouri in St. Louis, where Missouri has won the last 4 and leads the all-time series 15-7. (No wonder this series has been discontinued after 2010!). If Illinois can’t escape St. Louis with a W, they are likely staring down 1-4 by mid-October with losses at Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State. From there on out, Illinois would have to run the table and I just don’t see that happening with home games against Michigan, Northwestern and Fresno State, and a late November road trip to Big East champion Cincinnati. I have to believe they’ll lose 1 if not 2 of those games down the stretch. Most experts have the Illini at 2, 3 or 4 in the final Big Ten standings this season, but I just don’t see the reasons for such optimism. After all, this is the same team that lost three straight down the stretch to Western Michigan, Ohio State and at Northwestern to miss out on the postseason. And it’s not like Ron Zook has an amazing track record in his first four years in Champaign (18-30). Therefore, I’ll confidently go with the under (+120) here. Sure, they’ll be improvement, but I think improvement will have to come in the form of 7-5 or 6-6, not 8-4 or 9-3.


Over/Under – 8 regular season wins for Iowa

Brian: Even with the departures of running back Shonn Greene and DTs Mitch King and Matt Kroul, much of the pieces on a team that went 8-4, 5-3 Big Ten a year ago return. The biggest hurdle this season will be the Big Ten schedule. For some odd reason, the Hawkeyes have to go back to East Lansing for a second straight year. Much like my diagnosis for Michigan, the Hawkeyes Big Ten road schedule isn’t doing them any favors. Iowa’s Big Ten road schedule is absolutely brutal, with stops in State College, Madison, East Lansing (again) and Columbus. I know the Hawkeyes like to boast that they were 12 points away from an undefeated season last year, but 3 of those 4 losses came on the road. And this season’s road sched is much more daunting. Off their Big Ten schedule this year are Purdue and Illinois in favor of Ohio State and Michigan. This is probably a wash, with the Hawkeyes going 1-1 against Purdue/Illinois in 2008 and likely going 1-1 against Ohio State/Michigan in 2009. Iowa should go 4-0 out of conference with wins over I-AA Northern Iowa, Arizona, Arkansas State and at Iowa State, but I’m struggling to get Iowa to 5-3 in the Big Ten this year to go with the over. I’ll hesitantly take the under (+100) here, banking on Iowa losing their four Big Ten road games (Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State) and banking on either Arizona or Northwestern to pull off the upset on the road. 7-5, 3-5 for the Hawkeyes this season. Go with the under (-130).

Jeff: Iowa won 8 games last year and a lot of those were after Shonn Greene emerged as a beast of a running back. Greene is gone this year though and Iowa has 2 BCS conference teams on their schedule out of conference so there is really no way in your right mind that you would put some of your hard earned money on Iowa to win at least 9 games. No way. Under (-130).


Over/Under – 8 regular season wins for Michigan State

Jeff: Michigan State is one of the top three teams in the conference and avoids one of the other top three, Ohio State, on their conference schedule this year. Then, they don't play any BCS conference teams out of conference, however they do play Notre Dame. Why would you not take the over with Michigan State!!?? Especially at +140, this is a no-brainer. Michigan State would have to lose to Notre Dame and go only 4-4 in conference to not at least push. I very much like the over (+140) when it comes to Michigan State this year and I do expect them to beat Notre Dame as well.

Brian: Over. Over. Over. I have Michigan State winning no less than 9 games this season. The Spartans will likely go 4-0 out of conference with wins over Montana State in the opener, Central and Western Michigan and at Notre Dame. From there, 5-3 in conference is definitely possible with very winnable games against the likes of Michigan, Northwestern, and Iowa at home, and Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota on the road. Missing Ohio State on the schedule this year certainly helps matters out for Mark Dantonio and MSU. It won’t come easy, and I would not be surprised if Michigan State pushes at 8, but I don’t see any red flags preseason that would lead me to believe the Spartans can’t at least reproduce last season’s 9 game regular season win total. I usually don't say this, but go with what Jeff said on this one. Go with the over (+140).


Over/Under – 8 regular season wins for Wisconsin

Brian: This one has to be the toughest line of any of the Big Ten team’s lines. I am definitely not sold on the Badgers under Bret Bielema as he’s gone from 12-1 to 9-4 to 7-6 in three seasons in Madison. That being said, Wisconsin is certainly capable of matching its regular season win total from 2008 and surpassing it by a game or two. Lucky for Bucky Badger, UW misses Penn State on the schedule this year, and plays all 5 of the teams projected to finish towards the bottom of the Big Ten standings (at Indiana, Purdue, at Minnesota, at Northwestern, Michigan). Sure there are more road games than home games in that group of five, but those are all very winnable Big Ten matchups. Out of conference, Wisconsin draws Northern Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford and Hawaii. I certainly hesitate taking UW in all four of those matchups after last season’s 36-35 win in OT at home over Cal Poly, but will give the program the benefit of the doubt and give them 4 wins. 5 + 4 = 9, so I’ll reluctantly take the over here (-115), although my gut tells me this looks a lot more like a push than any of the other lines.

Jeff: What do I know about Wisconsin this year? Nothing. I honestly know nothing about this team. But, in general I expect the Big Ten to be improved this year and maybe the Badgers will bounce back from the beatdown they suffered at the hands of Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl and I'll take the over (-115).

(What would have made this wager more interesting is if Wisconsin took advantage of the NCAA rule that allows teams that schedule a game at Hawaii to schedule a 13th game. It doesn’t appear that Wisconsin took advantage of this though with only 12 games on the schedule in 2009.)


Over/Under – 9 regular season wins for Penn State

Jeff: I love Penn State to head back to the Rose Bowl. OVER (-225)!

Brian: Jeff, you always love Penn State. The line here could be 10, 11 or even 12 games and I'd bet you'd still take the over on this one. I'm not as optimistic about Penn State as you are this year, especially if what they are saying is true about offensive line experience. The Nittany Lions only return 39 starts on the O line this year. Still, it's not like Penn State is straining themselves this year with a non-conference schedule composed of Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois. From there, to think that Penn State will go less than 5-3 in the Big Ten is certainly a stretch. They have some tough games mixed in there, including at Northwestern on Halloween (don't laugh, I'm serious), Ohio State (November 7), and at Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy. Still, I see Penn State at no less than 8-0 before coming to Evanston on Halloween, and for JoePa and the Lions to go 0-4 or 1-3 in November seems unfathomable at this point. Take the over (-225).


Over/Under – 9 1/2 regular season wins for Ohio State

Brian: Ohio State loses a lot of talent from last year’s 10-2 season. But then again, they are Ohio State ... in a thoroughly mediocre conference. As mentioned earlier, the Buckeyes miss Michigan State and Northwestern this season, not that they were much competition for OSU a year ago (the Buckeyes beat those two teams by a combined 90-17). The biggest tests for Ohio State will be USC at home on September 12 and at Penn State on November 7. Other than those two games, not much stands in the way of another 10-2 season and either a Rose Bowl or BCS at-large berth. With 7 home games and a virtual 8th home game in Cleveland (the Patriot Bowl – remember that? – against Toledo), the schedule sets up nicely for Ohio State to make another run at the Big Ten title and a National Championship Game berth. Take the over (-125).

Jeff: The Buckeyes have a guaranteed loss in the second week of the season when they play USC. After that at Penn State is another likely loss so in order for Ohio State to go under all they have to do is lose one more game somewhere on their schedule. I like the chances of Ohio State losing one more game somewhere and going UNDER (-105).


Brian: No lines were available for Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, and Northwestern as apparently not much is expected for these programs in 2009. But just for fun, how many games do you have my grad school Northwestern winning this season?

Jeff: 7 or 8 wins for your Northwestern Wildcats.