Toss Up: Offseason Football Musings, Outdoor Hockey and Rice's Draft Stock

Jeff and I tackle some of the offseason storylines and other random thoughts on our minds today in a game of Toss Up.


Toss Up - Which school will win more games in football this season - My old school or my new school?

Jeff: Your new school is going to go 5-2 at home and 2-3 on the road. Northwestern misses Ohio State but still has Penn State and Wisconsin at home with Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois on the road. Northwestern is an improving program but I see them winning a few less games this year than last year. Your new school is just happy to go to a bowl. BC meanwhile should win 8 games this year.

Brian: Jeff, you have it all backwards. At the risk of instantly sounding like a homer (trust me, there is literally no Northwestern school spirit in the grad programs here so this isn't the case), Northwestern will win more games than BC this year. One team has a much easier schedule, plays in a weaker conference, and has a returning senior quarterback under center. The other team plays in a better conference, has a tougher schedule and has to play arguably the best program in the conference (Virginia Tech) as opposed to missing the best team in the Big Ten (Ohio State). Northwestern will breeze to a 4-0 record out of conference with wins over Towson, Eastern Michigan, at Syracuse, and Miami (OH). Then in conference, the Cats will beat Minnesota and Indiana at home and Purdue and Illinois on the road. They will likely lose to Penn State at home and Iowa and Michigan State on the road. I would chalk the home Wisconsin game up as a toss up. That gets Northwestern to 8-4 or 9-3 on the year.

While I am ever the BC optimist, I think there is just way too much offseason turmoil to overcome for the Eagles to get to 8 or 9 wins. I would be doing cartwheels if we get to 7-5 or 8-4, but I think that a 5-7 or 6-6 season is more in the cards for Boston College this season. Early prediction for wins? Let's say Northeastern, Kent State, Wake Forest, Central Michigan, at Virginia, at Maryland.

Also, Northwestern's HC Pat Fitzgerald just got a contract extension through 2015. The short-term future in Evanston looks bright. And I would never bet against a QB named Kafka.


Toss Up - How do you like your BC vs. BU hockey games? Inside or outside?

Brian: I like the outdoors game as a novelty game to be held once every few years. But if this becomes a yearly event, I'm not too sold on that idea. I will say that I love the idea of an outdoor game for this season - since we've been calling for this for some time - but remember this likely would be a league game and would count in the final Hockey East standings. What would be cooler in my opinion is to have one of the Beanpot tournaments held outdoors since those games don't count towards the regular season Hockey East crown. Either that, or have the City of Boston host a winter tournament outdoors.

Jeff: Outside for sure. It looks like we are getting something that we wanted. BC is going to play at Fenway Park. The truly sad thing would be though is that now we are going to play this marquee hockey game maybe the football team will make a major bowl and Eagles have a conflict of interest and attendance at both the bowl and the hockey game are hurt as a result. You would consider making the trip to Fenway, right?

Brian: Of course.


Toss Up - 2009 Notre Dame Football - BCS bowl bound or Not?

Brian: Not this year for the Irish. Dr. Saturday nicely lays out the case for the Irish's BCS hopes, and I tend to agree with him. I see the Irish going 8-4 or 9-3 this year and missing out on a BCS at-large berth. With the schedule being as light as it is this year, I don't believe 9-3 gets them in. Quick glance at the schedule makes me think the Irish have 5 automatic wins (Nevada, at Michigan, at Purdue, Washington, Washington State), 2 sure losses (USC and Michigan State) and 5 toss up games, including the Eagles matchup with the Irish. Don't sleep on an improving Stanford team, who nearly knocked off the Irish in South Bend last season. I can see the Irish adding 3 more wins to the regular season win total from a season ago, but +4 in the win column will be too much for Irish fans to ask. The Irish will play in a very good bowl - perhaps the Gator Bowl - but will fall short of the BCS this season.

Jeff: Very very sadly, I have to say right now that ND is going to a BCS bowl this year. ND has such a weak schedule that they could lose to BC and USC and still go to a BCS game. BC has beaten the Irish before in years that they have gone to a BCS bowl. If ND beats BC this year I would say almost with certainty that they will be playing in a BCS Bowl and if BC beats Notre Dame, there is still a decent chance that they go on to a BCS Bowl.


Toss Up - Which do you prefer - Playing rivalry games or cupcakes after bye weeks?

Jeff: I hate BC's schedule as far as where the bye weeks fall this year. We know that we open with Northeastern which is probably a good thing considering the uncertainties that have developed with this team. Then our bye week falls after the Central Michigan game (on October 31) and before the Eagles' trip to Charlottesville. Central Michigan is not a bad team but it is still a game we should win and it is a meaningless out of conference game. Then Virginia is possibly the weakest ACC team we play and they are also a Coastal opponent which is far less important than an Atlantic Division game. I would much prefer at least one of our bye weeks lead up to the Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame or the Virginia Tech games.

Brian: I'm not going to get too worked up about where the bye week falls this season as the college football season only has one bye week for most teams (12 games in a 13 week period). Northwestern doesn't even have the benefit of a bye week this season as they play their 12 regular season games in 12 weeks and end before Thanksgiving.

Going back to 2006, the Eagles have won every game while coming off the bye week. (In 2005, we lost to a nationally ranked Virginia Tech team on a Thursday night after having the previous Saturday off.) I would expect that trend to continue this season with a win at Virginia. If forced to pick though, I would say that I'd rather play a lesser opponent after a bye week rather than a rival or a strong opponent. The Eagles always seem to get up to play teams like Virginia Tech or Notre Dame, and the luxury of having a week off before playing these teams can I think be to the detriment of the team. The team starts to overthink the matchup, etc. In my opinion, I'm happy playing lesser opponents after the bye week instead of a strong opponent.


Last one, Toss Up - Will Rice get drafted tonight?

Brian: Yes. He'll be a mid-to-late second rounder. Even though the draft is heavy on point guard talent this season, Rice is a good enough pure shooter than he will get drafted tonight. The only mark against him is that it's unclear what position he'll play in the pros since he is a bit undersized as a shooting guard. Still, I think a team will take a chance on Rice.

Jeff: I am sticking by my prediction that he will not be drafted but I am hoping that he will or if he goes undrafted that he will be picked up by an NBA team.

Toss Up: Enter the Offseason

Jeff and I tackle some of the offseason storylines and other random thoughts on our minds today in a game of Toss Up.


Toss Up - Which National championship game coach, if they were named BC men's basketball coach tomorrow, would first get the Eagles to the Final Four - Roy Williams or Tom Izzo?

Brian: The other day I was having a conversation that asked the question, just how good of a coach is Roy Williams? Now don't get me wrong, the following is not meant to belittle Williams' accomplishments at either Kansas or North Carolina. But I'm just not sold on how good of a coach Roy Williams is. Let me explain. I would venture to say there are about 5-10 college basketball programs out there that simply sell themselves. High schoolers simply want to play for your program. Kansas and North Carolina are certainly two of those programs. I would venture to guess that there are a handful of other programs that could say the same thing. Off the top of my head? Duke, Kentucky, UCLA - maybe no more, Arizona (?), Connecticut, and Indiana, too. These programs have no geographical boundaries as far as recruiting and usually claim the lion's share of the McDonald's All-American population.

Now, I started to read up on Roy Williams career trying to answer the question, where was Williams before Kansas? Wait, his only two D-I college head coaching jobs were Kansas and North Carolina?! How can that be? It seems like Williams was giving Wonka's golden ticket. He inherited a Kansas team coming off a National championship under Larry Brown and turned Kansas into a perennial Big Eight (and later Big XII) power, then used that success to get a job at his alma mater to turn around the program that Matt Doherty sorta ran into the ground. But by then, he had built up enough of a reputation as a great coach at Kansas to turn UNC around.

So, long story short, while I think Williams is a great recruiter and has a laundry list of accomplishments to his name, I'm going with Izzo. I'd have to think that at a school like BC with no college hoops history to speak of and limited depth of local recruiting talent, that Izzo could more quickly turn lemons into lemonade at the Heights.

Jeff: I think you're correct in choosing Izzo. Roy Williams wasn't able to win it all at Kansas which is a powerhouse program and was then able to win at North Carolina. But UNC is the biggest and best program in college basketball nowadays and was that way under Dean Smith and was headed back to that spot before Williams came in. Tom Izzo has taken a much lesser Michigan State program to being one of the tops in the country. This is what BC would need. They don't need someone who can win at a school that sells itself. They need a guy more like Izzo who has proven he can win at a non-traditional power.


Toss Up - More interesting offseason Raji storyline - whether or not he hit the bong or who will actually draft him?

Jeff: Can I choose neither? I don't think the drug test story as a big deal, nor do I really care which team will draft him. He has been though of by BC fans as a first rounder for a while and he shot up some draft boards early on this offseason, but whether he gets drafted 7th, 11th, 19th, or whatever is just not big news in my book since he is a defensive tackle and not a quarterback or other skill position player. Of the two choices, I'll go with the drug test though. It was a little surprising when it came out.

Brian: The more interesting story is whether or not he failed the Combine's drug test. Now Raji and his agent are saying that they haven't been told yet by the independent medical advisors that he actually failed the drug test. Raji, his family, and his agent are now all pleading ignorance that the report was untrue and spread maliciously. I really don't know what to believe at this point. Unfortunately, I think the damage might already be done to Raji's draft stock. As you said, while it will be great to see Raji get drafted in the first round, there isn't nearly the hype with BC fans surrounding Matt Ryan's 2008 NFL Draft experience.


Toss Up - Who you got in the Frozen Four this weekend - Boston U. or the field?

Brian: I think you'd have to be a little crazy to take the field this coming weekend. You have two 4 seeds playing in the National semifinal. Miami "thank his heavenly father BC isn't in the NCAA tournament this year" of Ohio vs. Bemidji State, wherever the hell that is. After that, you have Boston U. vs. a very good Vermont team. You would think that BU is going to steamroll the field en route to the school's 5 NCAA championship. Well, call me crazy then. I'm taking the field. I see Vermont pulling off the upset in the first semifinal (note: they are the only Hockey East team to beat BU in the regular season series, taking the series 2-1-0), and see Cinderella Bemidji State winning the other semifinal. In the final, I like Vermont over Bemidji State for the Green Mountain State's first NCAA championship. And the state of New Hampshire basically soils themselves even thinking about the possibility of Vermont winning an NCAA championship in men's ice hockey before UNH does.

Jeff: You have to take the field because otherwise you'd be supporting Boston U. Sucks to BU!


Toss Up - What is the fate of BC's baseball season - first ever ACC Championship appearance or staying home for the fourth straight year?

Jeff: The baseball team is going to head to the ACC Tournament this year. The Eagles have winnable games up until their last two series which are against North Carolina and Miami. By then the team should have secured a spot in the tourney since they are above .500 in conference at the moment.

Brian: The Eagles currently have a very respectable 7-6 record in the ACC right now, including series wins over Florida State, NC State and Maryland. Despite yesterday's setback to UMass in the Baseball Beanpot, the Eagles do have a couple winnable series coming up. BC has a winnable series at Wake Forest next week, followed by a tough home series with Virginia, and a road series with Duke. I think the Eagles can take 2 of 3 from both Wake Forest and Duke, and 1 of 3 from Virginia, which would push their record to 12-10. From there, as you mentioned Jeff, they close out the ACC schedule with two tough home series against Miami and North Carolina. Since the games are at home, I am optimistic that the Eagles can take 1 of 3 from both Miami and UNC, which would get them to 14-14. I think that will be good enough to get them into the ACC Tournament as one of the top 8 teams. Last year, Clemson got in as the #8 seed with an 11-18-1 record.

For whatever reason, the Eagles miss Virginia Tech this year on the schedule. This is unfortunate, because the Hokies just aren't all that good. And last year, the Eagles only played the Hokies once. What is up with this scheduling?


West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart has been making news recently on Twitter. To my knowledge, no BC head coach is "tweeting" yet ...

Last one, Toss Up - Which BC head coach would you more like to see start Twitter-ing - Coach Spaz or Coach Skinner?

Brian: I think there is a lot of intrigue around Coach Spaz in his first season as head coach at BC and all, but I'm going with Skinner on this one. Spaz is going to basically get a pass in his first season as HC, and Skinner is the more established and more scrutinized coach at this point. I think it would be awesome to get to know what Skinner is thinking ...

Why did you bench Roche last night?
Why can't the team beat full court pressure?
Why do you insist on banking extra scholarship spots every year?
Ever heard of a set inbounds play?
Admit it - you secretly hate Leonard Hamilton for stealing your thunder this year and winning ACC COY.
Defend the Flex offense.
Do you cry yourself to sleep every night with the thought that Troy Bell isn't walking through that door?
Ever heard of a timeout, dude?
Can you show us even a little bit of emotion on the sidelines once in a while?
What percent discount do you really get at Eastern Clothing of Watertown?

In this day and age of blogging, Facebook and Twitter, fans (and Al's critics) want to know instantly what he is thinking and why he made the decisions he made. Al, start tweeting today!

Jeff: This tweeting stuff is terrible in my opinion. But, I would rather hear from Spaz daily without a doubt. After losses, it would be nice to get some thoughts from Skinner, but that's what press conferences are for. I want to hear from Spaz constantly about ...

How practices went?
How recruiting is going?
Is anyone injured?
Who is our starting quarterback is going to be?
Was he considering going for it on fourth down?
If he's getting tired since he's old, etc. etc.

Football is king. Spaz is the correct answer here without question.

Toss Up: Tournament Seeding and the Stretch Run

We welcome back Raj to the blog to discuss a little BC hoops in a game of Toss Up. I promise to go easy on our guest and not give him the requisite beatdown I typically dole out to Jeff.


First one, Toss Up - Who Will End Up With a Higher Seed in the NCAAs? Boston College or Florida State?

Brian: A great question. These two teams seem to be on a collision course to finish within a game of one another in the final regular season standings. kenpom.com predicts that the Seminoles will finish with a 22-9 (9-7 ACC) record, while the Eagles finish at 21-10 (9-7 ACC). If the two teams' records are almost identical, then you have to look at other indicators like RPI and SOS. Florida State edges us in both these categories. RPI gives a slight edge to the Seminoles (54 to 59) while SOS favors FSU even more (28 to 58). Next up would be the head to head matchup. If kenpom's prediction holds up and the Eagles win at home, this would be advantage BC. The last factor you can look at is how you play late. If the Noles don't come up with any upsets down the stretch and kenpom's predictions are true to form, they will finish the regular season having lost 4 of their last 5 games, including a four game losing streak. The Eagles, on the other hand, will go 3-2. Advantage Eagles. Overall, if the Eagles can beat Florida State at home and go 2-2 in their remaining games, I believe BC will get a higher seed than FSU.

Raj: With a tougher remaining schedule and only in conference quality win over Clemson, it seems like Boston College would be the logical pick. As Lee Corso says "Not so fast, my friend!" BC has been known to be overlooked in the seedings almost every year. So even though 21 or more wins looks feasible, look for Florida State to sneak in there, with a 54 RPI and few to none "bad losses."

Brian: Currently, it's a non-question for ESPN's bracketologist Joe Lunardi. He has the Eagles as an 11 seed and the Seminoles as an 8 seed. This seems a little off though, don't you think?


Toss Up - More Dangerous Away Matchup Down the Stretch? Miami (FL) or NC State?

Raj: I have to go with Miami. I have watched McClinton quite a bit this season and this kid is lights out. They get up and down the floor and play tough defensively. Six of the Hurricane's nine losses are by 5 points or less. They are dangerous and have taken the top teams of the ACC to the limit, and also taken us down at home. I think a win at Miami would seal our place in the Big Dance.

Brian: Sorry, Raj, but the answer here is NC State. Just like the Wolfpack football team (and your boy Russell Wilson), the school's men's hoops team is coming on strong down the stretch. Since getting blown out by Tobacco Road rival North Carolina, the 'Pack has gone 3-1 including blowout wins over I-A doormat North Carolina Central and Georgia Tech, an upset win over Wake Forest, and a close, overtime loss to Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack are currently 12-2 at home, having lost to only UNC and Marquette. The Hurricanes just haven't done as good of a job protecting their home court (10-4). Finally, home court advantage certainly favors NC State. The RBC Center is a much tougher place to play than the BankUnited Center. NC State can get more fans to show up for a December home game against Towson than Miami can get to go see a home game against the third ranked team in the country!


Toss Up - Which win was more important to BC Basketball? The win at North Carolina or the win vs. Duke?

Brian:  The answer here is certainly the home win over Duke.  This was the confidence builder the team needed down the stretch.  As we have stated here on the blog, taking 1 of 3 from our brutal stretch of 3 ranked teams was key to realizing our tournament hopes.  The win also snapped 24 years of Eagles futility vs. the Blue Devils and now even the casual BC student/fan is talking BC hoops.  The two home games left should be well attended and this will provide the team with a good home-court advantage.  More importantly, this win made college hoops experts finally stand up and take notice of BC basketball.  While the North Carolina win was impressive, soon thereafter experts were calling the win a fluke after losing to Harvard, Miami, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.  And finally, while it sucks to say, the Gene-Jags incident that surfaced the day of the UNC win really detracted from the Eagles' upset win.  

Raj: I'd have to say North Carolina, although we all know the rankings are what have you done for me lately. The win over the Tar Heels was a huge confidence booster and a shocker to the world, as UNC was talking about going through the whole season undefeated. Not once was this game on anyone's radar, not even BC fans. This was a great example of what our team could d, and really rejuvenated the subsequent crowds at Conte and BC basketball.  I say this even knowing full well that the Duke win probably pushed us into the tournament and off the bubble. With the North Carolina game, Al Skinner lost the TOB label and got the signature win, and this was also the beginning of my lovefest with Brother Jimmy's.


Toss Up - Who has been more valuable to the Eagles success against ranked opponents - Rakim Sanders or Joe Trapani?

Raj: I'd have to side with my boy Rakim Sanders who has lived up to the nickname Mr. National TV. Against all opponents but Wake he has played great defense and shot well from the field. He fills up the stat sheet with points and rebounds and his pressure defense on the perimeter leads to turnovers. Although I have to admit, Joe Trapani has shown me he is more than just another Brian Ross. But seriously, an Allen Iverson-like haircut for Trapani might not be a bad idea.

Brian: Raj, Raj, Raj. The key to this question is "against ranked opponents." This year, we have played 6 ranked opponents, having only won 2 of those games. I have to look no further than the stat sheet to prove that Trapani has been more valuable to the Eagles. Let me break out the stat sheet for ya.  Check it.

		Trapani		Sanders
Opponent	Decision	Pts	Reb	Pts	Reb
No. 9 Purdue	Loss	14	8	6	5
No. 1 UNC	Win	8	7	22	6
No. 3 Wake Forest	Loss	20	11	4	5
No. 6 Wake Forest	Loss	19	13	1	1
No. 11 Clemson	Loss	5	3	23	8
No. 5 Duke	Win	20	7	14	5
TOTAL		86	49	70	30

Success is a relative term I guess.  If you are asking which player contributed to our wins over Duke and UNC, then the stats show that you are correct in saying Sanders has been more valuable.  But look at our losses against ranked opponents!  Overall, over the 6 games, Trapani has been more valuable to the team.  And in three of our four losses to ranked opponents, Sanders didn't show up.  OK, so maybe Sanders has been more valuable to the team in their wins over ranked opponents, but Sanders has certainly been LESS valuable to BC in our losses.  

It would be nice to get both Trapani and Sanders going in the same game now, wouldn't it?

Toss Up - Who does the media favor more? The Big East or the ACC?

Brian:  This is an easy question.  The answer is the Atlantic Coast Conference if only because our conference is home to two of the most storied and overhyped college basketball programs - UNC and Duke.  All you have to do is compare the ESPN hype between each conference's two best teams.  #3 North Carolina just faced #5 Duke on the road last week and the hype leading up to the game bordered on ridiculous levels.  Contrast that with this past Monday's showdown between #4 Pittsburgh and #1 Connecticut.  While the game received some pub from ESPN, it wasn't nearly on the level of a Duke-UNC game.  Not to mention most of ESPN's college basketball experts have ACC ties.  ESPN talking heads Len Elmore (Maryland), Jay Bilas (Duke) and Hubert Davis (North Carolina) all have ACC ties, so of course they will throw love the ACC's way.  Finally, even a broadcaster with Big East ties - Dick Vitale (Rutgers) - currently openly professes his love for an ACC team - Duke.  The answer is the ACC.

Raj: Hands down the answer to this question is the Big East. If Georgetown and Notre Dame are still being discussed as bubble teams on ESPN, the Big East has to be considered to be favored by the media. The Hoyas and the Irish BOTH had 5 game losing streaks in conference. Both teams are not even .500 in conference but are getting into the discussion on what basis? Let's just hope the selection committee does the ACC right and gives us 7 teams, and doesn't give the HUGE EAST teams just because there are 16 teams in their conference.

Last one, Toss Up - If You Could Put Only One Basketball Star on the BC Mt. Rushmore, who would it be? Troy Bell or Al Skinner?

Raj: You are killing me here. I'm a huge Troy Belll fan, but Skinner's success cannot be argued with. Al Skinner has his own sponsor in Eastern Clothing of Watertown and his winning percentage at BC over 12 seasons is over 61%. That is good for 5th all time and makes him the longest tenured coach in BC basketball history. As much as we don't like his boring offense, I can't go against a guy who gets W's. If only Troy Bell had signed a deal with Taco Bell, he'd be like a crunchwrap supreme: Good to Go.

Brian:  For once Raj, I will agree with you.  The answer is Al Skinner.  Troy Bell was an amazing athlete for the Eagles, but Skinner followed up recruiting Troy Bell with Craig Smith, Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice ... four of the top 10 all-time scorers in BC basketball history.  Skinner's success rejuvenating BC basketball after the messy Jim O'Brien breakup is unprecedented.  A Big East tournament title (albeit with Bell), coming within a bucket of an ACC Championship in his first year in the league, 20-0 to start the 2004-2005 season, a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2005-2006, and now wins on the road vs. a #1 and at home vs. a #5.  Again, IF a basketball sports figure makes Mt. Rushmore, I would have to say I think Skinner gets the nod over Troy Bell simply because Skinner has backed up his recruiting Troy Bell with subsequent conference Players of the Year and All-Americans.

That's it.  I win again.  Thanks for filling in for us Raj and taking your beating like a man.  

Toss Up: BC-Wake Game Tonight

Let's talk basketball!


What: Boston College Eagles vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
When: 9:00pm
Where: Silvio O. Conte Forum
TV: Raycom

Possibly Biased Game Previews: WakeForestSports.com, Winston-Salem Journal
Line: BC +3.5


Probable Starting Lineups:

WAKE FOREST (14-0, 1-0)

G-0-Jeff Teague
G-42-L.D. Williams
F-1-Al-Farouq Aminu
F-23-James Johnson
C-13-Chas McFarland

BOSTON COLLEGE (13-4, 1-1)

G-4-Tyrese Rice
G/F-15-Rakim Sanders
F-12-Joe Trapani
F-11-Corey Raji
C-52-Josh Southern


We're Goin' Streakin': Wake Forest is undefeated on the season, having won their first 14 games. Quality wins against Brigham Young on the road and vs. North Carolina. Boston College is 7-0 against Wake Forest in the all-time series.


We preview tonight's matchup between B.C. and Wake Forest with a game of Toss Up.


Toss Up - Rice scoring more or less 3x the number of points he has in the first half in the second half.

Brian: I don't think Rice will get off to a slow start this game. The students will be back and there should be a good atmosphere in Conte for this game. Rice may have a better second half than his first half performance, but he won't score 3 times as many points as he does in the first half. The only wildcard in this equation is if he gets in foul trouble by committing dumb fouls early in the first half. But I'm not expecting that type of game from Tyrese tonight. Less than 3 times the number of points.

Jeff: Rice seems to have a bad habit of getting off to slow starts in the first half and then turning it on in the second this year. Not to mention, in close games he piles on the free throws at the end of the game. I expect Rice's unfortunate trend to continue and he will have single digit scoring in the first half and 20+ in the second.


Toss Up - More Overrated ACC hoops team - #9 Clemson (16-0) or #3 Wake Forest (14-0)?

Jeff: If you define overrated by furthest deviation from what their record will be at the end of the season, it's Wake Forest. Wake is a top 25 team, but not a top 10. Meanwhile Clemson will finish in the top 15 or top 20.

Brian: I hate to do this, but I agree with you. Wake Forest is the more overrated team at this point in the season. Clemson at least has a few quality wins against Temple, at Illinois (13-2) out of conference, not to mention they smacked around Miami (FL) on the road, winning by 91-72. I thought when originally posed the question that the answer would certainly be Clemson (as they have beat up on every small South Carolina school that fields a team of 5 players), but looking at the results so far this season, Wake is the answer. Wake has only two quality wins - both coming in their last two games - against BYU and UNC. And as Eagles fans we've seen how beating media darling North Carolina over-inflates your stock. Wake Forest is the answer.


Toss Up - Better freshman ... so far, Reggie Jackson or Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu?

Jeff: I have to admit that I have not watched Wake play much this season, but I have been very impressed with Reggie Jackson. I expect another good game from him tonight since he has been improving throughout the season thus far. It looks like the team will be in capable hands at the point for a few years to come.

Brian: I, too, haven't seen Wake play too much this year, but the answer is Aminu. Aminu is the better freshman. Maybe it's comparing apples-to-oranges (guard vs. forward comparison), but Aminu's five double-doubles this season is pretty filthy. 21 and 10 vs. NC Central, 11 and 12 vs. UNC-Wilmington, 13 and 12 vs. Baylor, 21 and 12 vs. East Carolina and 18 and 10 vs. Radford. That being said, I have also been impressed with Jackson's performance to date and hope he has a big game tonight.


Toss Up - The Wake Forest home crowd storming the court after their win over No. 3 North Carolina on Sunday night. Fair or foul?

Jeff: Foul. Hello Wake! You were undefeated and ranked #4 in the country. You should not be storming the court when you are ranked that high. So that's the first court storming rule you broke. Secondly, you don't storm the court when the opposing team is coming off a loss. North Carolina has now lost back-to-back games. Meanwhile, the Eagles fans can storm the court tonight if they win. However, I don't know how many students will be there since classes have not started up again yet.

Brian: I have to agree here. Foul. I realize that this team is rebounding from the loss of head coach Skip Prosser two years ago, but Dino Gaudio has done a great job of building this program back up in only his second year. ACC Player of the Week Jeff Teague is an absolute beast. Act like you've been there before. The crowd tonight will be good, Jeff. I think the dorms will have opened back up and hopefully students return early today to catch the game. But please don't storm the court. We just knocked off No. 1 on the road. Let's act like we expect to win. (Note: we haven't had a good, ol' fashioned court storming since we were freshmen?)


Last one, Toss Up - Who Ya Got? Boston College or Wake Forest?

Jeff: I'm torn here. I think BC can and has a very good chance of winning, but if there were a gun to my head and I had to choose sides, I have to go with Wake Forest. BC simply did not play close to well enough against Miami to win tonight's game. I hope I'm wrong. Additionally, I'm shocked the line is only Wake -3.5. I thought it would be Wake -9 or so.

Brian: Wake wins. Like you said, I hope we're both wrong, but I think Jeff Teague will have a good game and will single-handedly win this game for the Deacons. Score prediction: 81-74 Wake Forest.

Toss Up: Boston College-Clemson

In honor of what will soon become a split Tiger-Eagles household in a few short months, we play a game of Toss Up ...


Toss Up - Better backfield - Spiller/Davis or Haden/Harris?

Jeff: This is a no brainer. The Spiller/Davis combo in Clemson's backfield is feared throughout the country. Meanwhile, no one outside of the ACC knows who either Haden or Harris are. If CJ Spiller or James Davis played for BC, they would average well over 100 yards per game and would be talked about in the Heisman conversation. Everyone knows that Clemson has no O-line.

Brian: Clemson doesn’t have an offensive line, that’s why I’m taking Haden and Harris. James Davis is disgruntled at the firing of coach Tommy Bowden and C.J. Spiller hasn’t played in Clemson’s last seven quarters. BC’s defense is one of the best in the nation against the run and should be able to limit the big plays from either Spiller or Davis. This is probably a push but I think over the course of these guys careers, Haden and Harris will certainly make a name for themselves on the Heights.


Toss Up - Better QB depth chart - Cullen Harper and Willy Korn or Chris Crane and Dominique Davis?

Brian: It’s hard to find many Chris Crane fans in Chestnut Hill at this point, but at the same time, it’s hard to find many Cullen Harper fans in Clemson, SC. It’s funny to think about all those Tiger fans last year that yelled back at us for wearing Ryan for Heisman shirts. "Ryan for Heisman??? Try Harper for Heisman???" A 1:1 touchdown to interception ratio is extremely pedestrian, and both Harper and Crane are under 1:1 with crane almost at 1:2 if he didn’t pick up another touchdown to Momah in garbage time against North Carolina. So both our starters suck, and we still don’t know much about Davis or Korn, so I’m going to go with record. Crane/Davis are 5-2 and Harper/Korn are 3-4, and Clemson only has 1 Division I-A win on the season. I’m going with the Eagles.

Jeff: I'm going to have to go with Clemson here. I'll say Crane and Harper are a push, but despite the fact that we haven't seen much game action from either, I'd rather have the highly recruited Willy Korn than Dominique Davis. Harper is still playing at Clemson because of what he's done in the past. Korn would already be starting at BC.


Toss Up - Better coach – William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney or Jeff Jagodzinski?

Jeff: Swinney for sure. He has already taken the team to a children’s hospital instead of practicing. Jags has probably heard about this and is wondering what the Clemson players are doing missing a practice given their terrible record but Jags just doesn't understand how complex modern college coaching is and Dabo is the hottest young coach in the country and will bring Clemson back to prominence.

Brian: This shouldn’t even be a question. Swinney is only going to be the Clemson coach for 5 more games and he’ll be hard pressed to come out of those games with a winning record. I’m sure he’ll parlay this experience with a nice head coaching gig somewhere next year as he moves aside for some high profile coach like Will Muschamp, but I highly doubt that it will be with a BCS conference team. Jags is 16-5 as the Eagles head coach and isn’t going anywhere. While Swinney might be the better recruiter, Jags is clearly the better coach.


Toss Up - More explosive - Jacoby Ford or Jeff Smith?

Brian: The answer is clearly Jeff Smith. Clemson fans know this first hand.

Jeff: Jacoby Ford's 4.12 40 time will smoke Jeff Smith's combine time. When Ford touches the ball its a potential touchdown. When Smith touches the ball its only a potential touchdown if BC is playing Kent State.


Toss Up - Better fans - Clemson or Boston College?

Jeff: BC fans cannot coordinate what to wear to home games nor do they travel to away games so Clemson wins here. Clemson packs 80,000+ in for home games and as you'll see Saturday, they travel plenty of fans for away games as well.

Brian: Agreed that the better fans follow the Clemson Tigers. I can’t really argue that point. However, Clemson also takes the cake for the most delusional fans. See below.


Toss Up - Who wins the BCS national championship game first? Clemson or Boston College

Brian: I’m going with Boston College here. We’ve already been to 1 more ACC Championship Game than Clemson has already, and Clemson has to go through Boston College to win the Atlantic (something they haven’t been able to do in their last three tries). The Tigers have failed to win the Atlantic the last three years despite having the Atlantic all but served up to them on a platter – Florida State has been down, little Wake Forest has bubbled up, and Maryland has one winning season in their last four seasons. Besides, it’s downright comical to hear Tigers fans at the beginning of the season because they think their team is always ACC Championship and BCS National Championship Game bound. A lot of fans still living off of 1981.

Jeff: I hate to answer this question but the answer is Clemson. Someone is going to figure out how to get something out of all the talent they have down there and run through the ACC one year en route to the BCS national championship game.


Last one, Toss Up - The O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy - cool new tradition or a reach?

Jeff: I don't think I would say cool yet but I would definitely say it is a nice effort by the BC gridiron club. As we'll see in November Big Ten games, they have various trophies for everything that is even close to a rivalry game. These Big Ten games have been going on a lot longer than just four years but every tradition must start somewhere.

Brian: This is a reach. We’ve only played 17 games against the Tigers all time and Clemson hasn’t beaten us since 1958. If we are going to come up with a new tradition, why not go with a team that we have played in 15 of the last 16 years – Virginia Tech. Sure the Eagles went 3-8 against the Hokies in the Big East, but since then we have gone 3-2 and won the last 3 regular season meetings. Or create a trophy when we renew our series with Syracuse in a few years. But Clemson? I’m not buying this.

Jeff: The point that Clemson would win this game Saturday if it were played on paper and would also have only 1 loss heading into it. But games aren't played on paper and I fully expect a BC victory Saturday.

Toss Up: Better Career at RB?, ACC Football and Hockey

Jeff may be beating me like a rented mule in our little Pick 5 challenge (after 3 weeks of downright miserable picks from yours truly) ... so I attempt to exact revenge by slapping him around in a game called Toss Up.

While our running game is still young and inexperienced, we have been impressed by the play of both freshmen Josh Haden and Montel Harris through 3 games. Each back has had 2 games to showcase their stuff.

Toss Up - Who do you expect to have a better career on the Heights - Haden or Harris?

Brian: This is a tough question. It's probably still a little too early to tell, but I'll go with Montel Harris. It will most likely come down to which back can stay healthier, and I think that Harris might hold up a little better over the long run. But don't get me wrong - both backs have been fairly impressive through 2 games.

Jeff: Tough question indeed but you are wrong. Haden was named the starter for a reason. So far he has only looked good in the second half of games after the defense is a little worn out. I would love to see him continue to get more touches but don't be too fooled by his numbers so far. Haden will emerge as the premiere back on the team but Harris is a GREAT second option. Reminds me of Willie Green and Derrick Knight.

The two ACC teams we've essentially left for dead have rebounded with big out of conference wins against ranked opponents. Maryland knocked off No. 23 California at home while NC State crushed in-state rival No. 15 East Carolina's BCS hopes beating them in overtime.

Toss Up - Which upcoming ACC opponent looks more like a sure win - vs. Maryland or at NC State?

Jeff: I think Maryland might be or probably is the better of these two teams, but the answer to this question is easy. It's Maryland. Maryland comes to Chestnut Hill where we have to travel to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack. We're going to win both but the Maryland game will be more of a sure thing.

Brian: No no no. The answer is clearly NC State. We play them in two weeks. Their starting quarterback Russell Wilson will not play this week against South Florida and is out indefinitely. What happened when Wilson was knocked out of the South Carolina game? NC State got shut out 34-0. The Wolfpack will also be without the services of starting linebacker Nate Irving next week as well. If NC State plays without both of those players, I expect the Eagles to cruise to victory. The flipside is we get Maryland at the end of the season when both teams will have worked out all the offensive kinks and who knows, the game might have implications on the Atlantic division race. I expect the Terps to give us a tougher matchup than the Wolfpack at this point.

Toss Up - Who's the bigger threat to derail the men's hockey team from repeating as Hockey East champions - #7 New Hampshire or #10 Boston University?

Brian: This question is right in Jeff's wheelhouse. I'm more concerned with Boston University than I am with New Hampshire this year. The Terriers dismissed last year's starting goalie from the team over the offseason and the job is wide open with a pair of freshmen and sophomore Adam Kraus all competing for the starting job. Still, I think BU has the fire power to stay with just about anyone in Hockey East with sophomores Nick Bonino and Colin Wilson. Wilson, in particular, finished with 3rd on the team with 35 points (12 goals and 23 assists) in his freshman year. There were some rumors that Wilson would leave school before the season starts to start playing for the Nashville Predators. If he does, this will be a significant blow to BU's Hockey East title aspirations. New Hampshire, on the other hand, has to replace their two leading scorers - Matt Fornataro and Mike Radja - as well as Hockey East goalie of the year Kevin Regan. The Wildcats scoring threat comes in sophomore forward James VanReimsdyk. I don't think they will have enough to stay with BU or BC this season.

Jeff: Honestly, I always worry more about UNH and the rankings back that up again this year. UNH has just been a better program the last decade.

SI.com's Bill Trocchi, in his week 4 conference rankings, has the ACC ranked #2 this week, behind everyone's darling conference the "ESS EEE CEE" but ahead of the Big XII.

Toss Up - Through four weeks, who's been the better conference? The ACC or the Big XII?

Jeff: I want to say the ACC but the answer is the Big XII. Their top 4 teams would be favored against any ACC team home or away. This year the other conferences are really competing for third place. After week 1 we were hoping the ACC could squeak out a few wins and finish better than the Big Least. Since then however, things are certainly looking up and the ACC can certainly beat out the Big Ten and Pac-10 to be the third best conference this year. Hopefully the ACC will even get two teams into BCS bowls this year but at this point you have to say that is highly unlikely.

Brian: This week the answer is the ACC. No league has rebounded better from their horrific week 1 than the ACC. Last week the ACC was 6-0 against non-conference opponents, including an upset of #15 East Carolina, a solid win against a middling Conference USA team, a beatdown of an SEC opponent (albeit a bad SEC team), and a road victory over a bad Big XII team. Meanwhile, the Big XII went a paltry 5-4 and had a weekend to forget (two of those five wins were against I-AA cannon fodder). The bottom of the Big XII went 1-2 against the Big East with their lone win coming at home in overtime against a West Virginia team that might be left for dead. Throw in a home beatdown of the Aggies courtesy of the ACC's Hurricanes and an overtime loss to UNLV, and while the top four teams in the Big XII are arguably stronger than the ACC, the ACC has shown much more depth than the Big XII. Next week? The power rankings for these two conferences will shift based on the head-to-head matchups of Colorado vs. Florida State (in Jacksonville) and Virginia Tech visiting Nebraska.

The Georgia Bulldogs have decided to don their black uniforms for Saturday's huge matchup against #8 Alabama. It's only the third time the Bulldogs have worn black.

Last one, Toss Up - If the Eagles were to decide to wear a new uniform color for a big upcoming game - say against Clemson or Notre Dame - what color you choosing - gold or black?

Brian: Gold helmets with a gold jersey might be interesting, but I'm going to go with black here. Florida State's black uniforms look pretty impressive with the gold helmets, and it would be easy to get the crowd to all wear black for one game (we've seen what happens when we ask the crowd to all wear gold). So let's go with a blackout.

Jeff: Georgia's colors are red and black hence the blackout. We should try all gold to get the gold rush going.

Brian: I'll give you Georgia's official colors are red and black, but Florida State's colors are garnet and gold. And yet they have attempted the blackout. Duke's colors are Duke blue and white, yet they have a black version of their basketball jersey. I say give black unis a shot.

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.

Toss Up: A Ridiculously, Ridiculously Premature Look at 5 Key Games for BC's Opponents

Brian: Today we play a game of Toss Up as we consider 5 intriguing football matchups for this coming football season. These games don't feature Boston College, however, they will be telling of the types of teams the Eagles will face in 2008. We picked games that happen prior to BC playing one or both of the teams in each of these games.

Tip of the hat to the Clemson website Sporting Gnomes for this gem - the 2008 ACC mini helmet schedule.


Toss Up - Who ya got? Week 7 Notre Dame @ North Carolina

Brian: Has North Carolina football arrived again under second year coach Butch Davis? That is the question. This is a statement game for the ACC as Notre Dame should come into Chapel Hill with a record of 5-0 or 4-1 (the Irish have a weak, front-loaded schedule; meanwhile the Heels have a tough first stretch of games but could finish up 4-0). If the Tar Heels can knock off the Irish, this will go a long way towards righting the national perception of ACC football. I predict the Heels will be 3-2 or 2-3 going into this game so this UNC really needs this game to keep bowl hopes alive. I'm taking Notre Dame though in a close one.

Jeff: Did you mean the Irish will be 0-5 or 1-4 heading into this game? You think they will beat Michigan and Purdue at home and Michigan State on the road? The Big Ten might be down still but not that far down. But, back to the game in question, I am going with Notre Dame as well. UNC certainly has a good chance of winning this one especially because it is a home game for them, but I just can't predict them winning a big nationally covered game yet. Give them another year or two.


Toss Up - Who ya got? Week 1 Clemson vs. Alabama (Georgia Dome)

Jeff: Well, just to not disappoint you or ATLeagle, I am going with Clemson here. Clemson and its fans have been to Atlanta and the Georgia Dome many times recently while Alabama has not been to Atlanta to play in the SEC championship in a long time. Also, Clemson was a good team last year that should be a very good team this year while Alabama stunk last year so they have a long way to go.

Brian: Jeff, let me remind you of how Clemson's last trip to the Georgia Dome went ... oh, that's right. yet another overtime, let down loss for Tommy's Tigers and the ACC. There are questions about Alabama next season and looks like their defense will be pretty spotty next year (another LB was dismissed from the team yesterday). I'm torn on this one and will reluctantly go with Clemson, although it wouldn't surprise me if the great, white ACC hope goes down in Week 1.


Toss Up - Who ya got? Week 4 Wake Forest @ Florida State

Brian: Outside of Clemson, this game will likely determine who will step up in the Atlantic Division race. This game is in late September and is the first ACC matchup for both teams. We see these teams in consecutive weeks in late November. Florida State will still be reeling from last year's suspensions when Wake Forest comes to town and I think Wake's offensive experience will be the deciding factor in this game. Wake wins by 7 in Doak Campbell.

Jeff: Gotta take FSU at home. Wake has a chance but I expect both teams to be about 5-3 in conference so I'll give the 'Noles the edge since they're playing at home.

Brian: Jeff, at least 20 Florida State players will still be suspended for the Deacon-Seminole game. Even in Tallahassee, I think you have to give the edge to a healthy Riley Skinner and Wake Forest.


Toss Up - Who ya got? Week 1 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State

Jeff: Former LSU QB Ryan Perrilloux plays for Jacksonville State which will bring a lot of attention to this game, but still does not give Jax St a chance in this game. Perrilloux's finest moment will remain his start for LSU in the SEC championship game last season where they came back to beat Tennessee which then allowed them to move up in the BCS ranking and play in the national championship game.

Brian: Perrilloux won't have the weapons to pull this game out, however, this is a warm up game for Georgia Tech and the new Paul Johnson-led offense. I also am taking Georgia Tech in this game, but I think it will be closer than most people think.


Last one, Toss Up - Who ya got? Week 7 Clemson @ Wake Forest (Thursday night)

Brian: Another heavyweight Atlantic division game that has all sorts of implications on the divisional race. Wake will have revenge in mind as they got smacked around last year in Death Valley 44-10. If Wake can get past Florida State in week 3, and Clemson can overcome the week 1 Crimson Tide hurdle, both teams could be undefeated heading into this matchup. I am going to go out on a limb here and say Wake Forest eeks out a win at home and ruins any Clemson national title run hopes.

Jeff: This game has Clemson letdown written all over it. Between this game and there trip to Chestnut Hill, their national title hopes and ACC title hopes will be ruined. I disagree though that Wake might be undefeated heading into this game primarily because of that earlier date at FSU.

Brian: Because of the Florida State suspensions, Wake will get past the Seminoles and will be 4-0 heading into their matchup with the Tigers.

Toss Up: Frozen Four

Brian: We are now less than 24 hours away from game time, so Jeff and I preview the Frozen Four matchup with the Fighting Sioux with a game of toss up ...


Toss Up - Tougher Frozen Four opponent - Michigan or North Dakota?

Jeff: North Dakota is tougher because North Dakota is Boston College's opponent! A team you don't have to play is not difficult.

Brian: I think the question was more about which opponent left do you think is the tougher competition ... I initially thought Michigan, but I've now turned the corner and am going with North Dakota. I am BUYING the WCHA and selling the CCHA teams.


Toss Up - More impressive "ironman" streak - Muse's 42 of 42 starts and 2605:05 in net this season, or senior captain Mike Brennan who played in 175 games (never missed a game in 4 years)?

Brian: I'm going to go with Brennan. Not missing a game in 4 years is pretty impressive, even if he does play on the defensive side of the puck. I don't want to take anything away from Muse here, who's had an incredible freshman season and is largely responsible for getting this season's Eagles to where they are today.

Jeff: You are absolutely correct in going with Brennan. A goaltender plays as many minutes as his coach allows or makes him. That is no ironman streak. Goalies are rarely injured and college teams do not play nearly as many games as NHL teams so the rest that goalies typically get once in a while is not as necessary.


Toss Up - Better freshman OT game-winner - Beanpot hero Nick Petrecki's or Whitney's Northeast Regional winner?

Jeff: Whitney's regional winner. The regional was nationally televised so more people got to see it and the NCAA tournament is far more important. Lose in the NCAAs and your season is over, lose in the Beanpot and you still have bigger fish to fry. It is important to note though that both made SportsCenter.

Brian: The better, more incredible goal was Whitney's, but if you are going for style points, nothing tops Nick Petrecki's game winning celebration. The rowboat?! Style points, creativity and form all far surpassed Whitney's game winner. So I'm going with Whitney's goal as more important/impressive, but going with Petrecki for the better celebration.


Last one, Toss Up - Who ya got? BC - North Dakota, and Michigan - Notre Dame?

Brian: I am nervous about the Eagles matchup tomorrow. It's REALLY hard to beat a team 3 years in a row in the national semifinals, but I'm going to go with my heart here and say that the Eagles keep things rolling. For the other matchup, again it's really difficult to beat a team 3 times in the same season ... ask this year's version of the Dallas Cowboys. I'm going to go the other way on this. I'm going with Notre Dame with the major upset, if only because Notre Dame survived the West regional of death, and Michigan had, by far, the easiest road to the Frozen Four. All Catholic final, let's do this.

Jeff: Notre Dame beat New Hampshire easily and then went on to beat Michigan State in this tournament. I don't know a lot about hockey but I know UNH had a good season so Notre Dame is clearly playing well and I give them the edge. Michigan expects to win and therefore has pressure, ND has no pressure on them to win. In the important matchup, I'm going with BC, obviously. What difference does it make that we've beat North Dakota the last two years? 3 times in one year might be a big deal but 3 times in 3 years ... no big deal. In 2001 North Dakota scored two late goals to force OT but then somehow BC regained composure and won the game. If BC could beat them under those circumstances I certainly expect them to win before the game starts tomorrow!


Brian: Jeff agreed to most of what I said in typical, boring fashion. Therefore, I win (again). But enough blog games, it's almost game time ... Go Eagles!

Toss Up: ACC Tournament Style

Brian: Jeff will be on hand to watch the Eagles beat the Terps tomorrow in the night game, so I will proceed in beating him in an ACC tournament edition of Toss up.

Toss Up - Johnny Oates against the Terps - will he make it rain again (21 points), or will we not even notice he played?

Jeff: Johnny Oates will not go for 21 but he will outshine both his average of 4.6 per game and Maryland's leading scorer Greivis Vasquez, who averages 17.5 per game, but only scored 11 and 14 in his two games against BC this season.

Brian: I expect Oates to play with heart. While I don't expect the 21 point outburst he showed in our last game against Maryland, he will have a couple buckets. But ultimately I don't think he won't be a factor in the box score.

Toss Up - ACC conference tournament bids - 4 or 5?

Brian: At this point I'm going to have to go with 4. Duke, UNC and Clemson are locks. Miami is the next best choice at 21-9, although 2 losses to FSU are curious. They will most likely have to take care of NC State though. A loss in the first round of the ACC tournament will put their at-large bid in jeopardy. VTech needs to string together a couple of wins in the ACC tournament to have any shot at the #4 ACC bid after a tough loss this past weekend to Clemson. Maryland, who I previously predicted would make the dance, is now on life-support. Look for BC to land the knock-out punch tomorrow.

Jeff: I'm going to go with 5 because the ACC already has 4 locks. Miami is #26 in the ESPN insideRPI and safe according to Joe Lunardi. Meanwhile Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are two wins away from an at large bid each. A tall task, I know but, with Tyrese Rice, I mean BC could also make a run and steal the automatic bid. I don't know exactly how it will shake out but the ACC is ranked the #1 conference by RPI and something will happen in Charlotte that will get a 5th team in.

Toss Up - More surprising final ACC weekend meltdown - Maryland or Virginia Tech?

Jeff: Maryland was more surprising because they fell from potentially getting a 3 or 4 seed in the conference tourmanet which comes along with a coveted bye. Meanwhile, no shame in Virginia Tech losing to Clemson by 1 and they still get a bye in the conference tournament anyways.

Brian: Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with you, Jeff. Maryland is the bigger surprise. Not only was the Terp's loss to Virginia Saturday not even close, but losing 4 of 5 down the stretch really damaged any realistic shot Maryland had at making the tournament.

Toss Up - More likely to transfer - Spears or Roche?

Brian: The answer is Roche. Roche has seen his minutes steadily decline as the season went on, and in our last 4 games he has logged 5 minutes, including 2 DNPs. Plus with the 6'8" Vermont transfer Joe Trapani, who averaged 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Catamounts, there is hardly a role left for Roche.

Jeff: You answered that question correctly but the fact is neither will transfer. Spears will have a better year next year when he is healthier and has some inside help. Spears has a tough time getting going when he is being guarded by and forced to guard good centers and power forwards. Then why would Roche transfer? Stay at BC and get a good education. His future is not in basketball and he will continue to get some minutes.

Toss Up: A Look at the Football Schedule

Toss Up - Better month for football next year - October (with games at Florida State and home against Clemson and Virginia Tech) or November (with three trips to the state of North Carolina and home games against Maryland and Notre Dame)?

Brian: The answer HAS to be November. An opportunity to beat down on lowly Notre Dame, push our winning streak to 6 games over the Irish. Four ACC games, 3 Atlantic matchups that will determine who goes to the ACC Championship game. Re-finding our winning ways against Maryland. A Thanksgiving reunion with TOB and the gang. And lest we forget, we are 0-3 in the ACC in the state of North Carolina (regular season games), so we'll need 3 wins in November to push our record in the state back to .500.

Jeff: I would love to attend all of the October games next season but the problem is that we will be underdogs in and might lose all 3 games. We could start out 4-0, lose three straight and still finish 9-3, so as a Boston College fan I have to go with November because I do like to see victories.


Toss Up - Game you'd rather attend next year - at Florida State or the home game against Notre Dame?

Brian: Jeff, are you asking for travel advice? I'd much rather attend the game in Tallahassee. I'm not getting any younger, and in my pursuit of trying to attend a game in every ACC venue, I have yet to cross Doak Campbell off my list. Plus who knows what type of team you'll get with Notre Dame. Florida State players will be coming off their suspensions for the first three games of the season, and this game is crucial to determining the ACC Atlantic winner. See you in Tallahassee October 4.

Jeff: Right answer, wrong reason. See correct reasons below.

Toss Up - Overall better football schedule,this year? Or last?

Jeff: The timing of ACC games is once again poor for the Eagles. Last year they got a raw deal by having to start the season with 3 straight conference games. This year they have to play their 3 toughest games back to back to back. Once again a tough break. The home schedule this year compared to last year is phenominal. Notre Dame at home. Clemson and Virginia Tech are two marquee conference home games as opposed to just Florida State last year. Since we started school at BC in 2000, the fans have never stormed the field at a football game despite a lot of wins. This year I think Clemson and Virginia Tech will both come to the Heights ranked high enough that a win would warrant jumping down onto the astroturf and I am already saying don't be surprised if that does happen.

Brian: But the Eagles again get a week off in between Florida State and Virginia Tech, which will give them an extra week to prepare for the Hokies and the Tigers. Not to mention, Jeff, YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. The answer is this year's schedule. We get the best ACC opponents at home and probably one of the easiest ACC away schedules in recent memory. Plus you want football to matter in November, and 3 trips to the Carolinas and 4 ACC games will make or break the Eagles run at another Atlantic division crown. And, of course, like you mentioned, having a healthy mix of ACC and out of conference games in August and September will give the new offense time to adjust before taking on the ACC heavyweights in October.


Toss Up - What has a better chance? BC winning at UNC tomorrow night (in men's hoops) or winning at Cameron Indoor next Saturday?

Jeff: Winning at UNC is much more realistic. I went to the game at Cameron Indoor last year and man is that a tough place for the visiting team. I would not be shocked if Boston College never wins at Cameron while Coach K is there. UNC is just another large cold out arena. Cameron is special.

Brian: We have a lot more history and bad blood between BC and Duke over the years since we joined the ACC. Think the ACC title game 2 years ago, a 78-76 loss with no love lost between the two sides. Also a game played in Conte was decided by 2 points as well earlier that season. While we have beaten UNC in Chapel Hill in the last few seasons, and even though I don't think we can pull off either win, I think its more likely this year to knock off Duke.


Last one, Toss Up - More surprising, that The Yankees and Red Soxbacked off of the Johan Santana sweepstakes or that Steve Logandeclined an offer from Nick Saban and Alabama to stay at Boston College?

Brian: Neither is too surprising in my opinion. If I had to pick, I'd go with Logan, although the deal with the Tide probably wasn't as close as the article made it out to be. The Twins seemed to have gotten a lot less for Santana than they would have from the Yanks or Sox, but I think they slow played the Yanks/Sox and neither budged, and then ultimately unloaded him to the NL before spring training started.

Jeff: Way to be indifferent Brian. The Red Sox and Yankees backing off is not surprising because they both backed off and Johan is now going to the National League. So no big deal for either team. If he had gone to the Yankees, that would be devastating for Red Sox nation and therefore the Sox would've stayed in the hunt until the end. Meanwhile I am pleasantly surprised that Logan stayed at BC. The ACC is not the SEC and BC is not Alabama.

Brian: Alabama went 7-6 last year, lost to Louisiana-Monroe last year, and are coached by the anti-Christ. Not sure why that job is more appealing than the Boston College gig. If Logan wants to move, he'll go back to being a HC. Plus, like I said, I don't think this deal was as close as we think.

Toss Up: Basketball, Winning Streaks and Best Dressed Coach

Brian: A day late with Jeff mailing in his answers on the road, it's time for the game where I beat down Jeff, Toss Up.


Toss Up - More Surprising Freshman Performance - Sanders or Raji?

Jeff: Sanders. Sanders has been getting it done consistently and has been a starter the entire season.

Brian: The answer would be Sanders if it was more impressive, Jeff. But the question is more surprising. As such, I'm going to go with Corey Raji. 9.4 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game off the bench is a solid contribution from a non-starting freshman.


Toss Up - More Impressive Streak? - 13 wins against the U in men's basketball, or 15 game losing streak to Miami in football (1985-2007)?

Brian: I'm going to go with basketball here. 13 straight wins include games in the ACC tournament, ACC regular season and Big East regular season. And there have been a lot of close games. In basketball, when you see teams 2-3 times a year, 1 game can go either way.

Jeff: The answer is football. Football is the more important sport. You know that.


Toss Up - Better 3-0 Conference Start in Bball - last season or this season?

Jeff: Last year's start included two wins on the road and ultimately we went to 5-0 in conference. I'm going with last year but a 5-0 start in conference this year would ultimately be more impressive.

Brian: The answer is this year. Sure we beat Wake and NC State on the road last year, but expectations were a lot higher for the Eagles last year.


Last One, Toss Up - Better Dressed Head Coach - Jerry York or Al Skinner?

Brian: Jerry York, by a mile. Sure Al Skinner has an endorsement deal with Eastern Clothing of Watertown, but it is reported that Skinner wears either a polo or a mock turtleneck on the road. Jerry York wouldn't be caught dead without a sweater/suit and a tie. Ties are more classy, and York wears one all the time. I'm going with York.

Jeff: Wrong again. The answer is Skinner. A polo and/or mock turtleneck is much more comfortable than a tie.