ESPN's College Football Live Tour Stops at Massachusetts Tuesday

A programming note: Be sure to set your DVR/Tivo/whatever to ESPN tomorrow at 3:30pm ET as ESPN's College Football Live's 50 States Tour rolls into Massachusetts. Matt Ryan is the special guest.

It's summer, and that means it's the perfect time for College Football Live to hit the road for an old-fashioned summer road trip!

The gang will be putting tires to asphalt in all 50 states to celebrate the game that unites fans from between the hedges in Georgia to the Coliseum in Los Angeles. We're going in search of the best players, best coaches, best games and more from every state in the union.

You can also add your two cents by voting for Massachusetts' best team, player and coach on ESPN's SportsNation.

Which team is the best in state history?

'19 Harvard (9-0-1)
'40 Boston College (11-0)
'84 Boston College (11-2)
'93 Boston College (9-3)
'07 Boston College (11-3)

Which player is the best in state history?

George Connor, Holy Cross
Doug Flutie, Boston College
Mike Ruth, Boston College
Matt Ryan, Boston College
Greg Landry, Massachusetts

Which coach is the best in state history?

Jack Bicknell, BC (59-55-1)
Mark Duffner, Holy Cross (60-5-1)
Tom Coughlin, BC (21-13-1)
Frank Leahy, BC (20-2)
Mark Whipple, UMass (49-26)


For shame if we let one of these Harvard, Holy Cross or UMass jokers win one of these poll questions. Enjoy.

Eagle Fans with Cablevision Rejoice?

Brian: From the Sports Business Journal comes word that ESPN brass have reached a deal that will allow cable and satellite distributors to pull an ESPN Classic for ESPNU switch-a-roo!

ESPN Classic’s days as one of the country’s biggest sports channels may be over.

Executives in Bristol are set to allow cable and satellite distributors to swap ESPN’s classic sports channel for its college network, ESPNU, which they hope presents a newer, hipper alternative to Classic’s staid, dated programming.

As part of the offer, ESPN also is looking for added distribution for its Spanish-language channel, ESPN Deportes, and its broadband network, ESPN360.

Score. This means Eagles fans will have greater access to ESPNU and the network's slate of ACC football, basketball and D-I college hockey games. Not to mention the possibility of ESPN360 being provided on a wider range of cable providers (something I currently don't have access to with Time Warner in NYC).

For reference, last season there were ...

• 7 men's basketball games televised on ESPNU - Loyola (Md), Iowa, Miami (FL), at Virginia Tech, at Virginia, Florida State, at NC State
• 3 men's ice hockey games televised by the U - Vermont, at Maine, Boston University (with the Notre Dame game on ESPN Classic / ESPN 360)
• 3 football games televised by the U - Kent State, Central Florida, Clemson (with the Rhode Island game on ESPN 360)

Of course, with ESPN Classic's move to a sports tier, this means less opportunity to watch the 1984 Flutie Miracle in Miami game in its entirety on a rainy Sunday. But that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Petition your local cable or satellite provider to make the switch!

Jeff to Atlanta; Brian to ...?

Jeff: I'll be watching the game from home tonight as Mrs. Jeff and I don't head to Atlanta for the tournament until tomorrow. With Clemson losing this morning and Miami getting beaten badly by Virginia Tech, hopefully the higher seed will take care of business tonight and the Eagles will face Duke tomorrow night. The Eagles need to win tonight to avoid slipping into bubble talk. Going 1-2 (with the lone victory being by 1 point at home) against ACC non-tournament teams to end the season is not a good way to impress the committee.

Brian: I am flying to California tonight to work out some marriage paperwork or something (not entirely sure, I stopped asking questions a long time ago). So I won't be able to watch the game since it is on ESPN 360. So tonight I will be watching the second half of Maryland vs. NC State on ESPN on the plane. Then I will most likely stay on ESPN to watch the last Big East quarterfinal of the night with #3 Connecticut against #6 Syracuse. Of course, I'll have an eye on the bottom line checking the BC score.

Jeff: At least you'll be supporting the team in spirit tonight Brian. In my refusal to support BC athletics financially after the Jags incident I will be sitting in the NC State section tomorrow, section 133.

I of course am only kidding about not supporting BC financially. I was mad when the Jags thing went down but we all move on. My tickets were free.99 and originally going to be higher up in the Clemson section but the ACC moved everyone they could into the lower levels due to soft ticket sales, mixing up the fan bases of each team. With Clemson already out of the tournament, it will be a long drive to Atlanta tomorrow if BC can't get a win tonight.

Go Eagles!

Happy Time: Colombo/Foley, BC Football and Soccer

Happy Time, Eagles! I ran my long training run for the marathon this morning, so I'm not particularly happy at the moment (actually quite sore), but we find reasons to be happy nonetheless.


No Boston College birthdays today, so we wish a Happy belated Birthday to Marc Colombo (October 8) and a Happy early Birthday to Glenn Foley (October 10). Last Sunday, while watching part of the Cowboys-Bengals game, I saw Marc Colombo throw a sick block that took out two Bengal defenders and sprung Felix Jones for a 33 yard touchdown run untouched. Can't keep a BC Guy down.

Glenn Foley, of course, was the Boston College quarterback best known for knocking off then No. 1 Notre Dame in 1993. What I didn't know about Foley was that he was a product of Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, NJ - a rival of my high school.


Happy Anniversary to the Boston College football team. On this date 15 years ago, you knocked off the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in East Rutherford, NJ 31-21. This pushed the all-time series record to 9-6 between the two schools. In fact, the Eagles haven't dropped a game to Rutgers since that game, going 10-0-1 in the last 11 games played between the two schools.


Happy Trails to the Fairfield men's soccer team. The BC men dispatched the Stags 2-1 behind goals from Freshman Edvin Worley and sophomore Jeremiah Gallington. The win pushed the Eagles record to 5-4-1 on the season, a somewhat disappointing start for the defending ACC Champions. They haven't seemed to be able to finish on opportunities so we're glad to see the Eagles get back in the win column. BC already has disappointing losses to Providence and Brown out of conference and in conference to Maryland and Duke. The men next host Iona on Saturday and travel to Yale next Tuesday, before finishing the regular season with 4 ACC matchups in their last 5 games.


TV Picks

Jeff: Brian, give people something to watch tonight.

Brian: I'll be watching Clemson @ Wake Forest tonight and you'll be happy to know I'll be pulling for Clemson (?) to even up the Atlantic Division standings. Also, don't forget a new episode of The Office. What you watching?

Jeff: Tonight I'll be watching the Clemson-Wake game with a little Grey's Anatomy mixed in which should conveniently start right around halftime of the game.

Vegas has Wake as a very slight favorite by 1.5 points. It's essentially a coin flip game but that point and a half is just enough that I'd put my money on Clemson tonight if forced to choose. Clemson winning I think is also good for BC because, as you said, it would give everyone in the division a conference loss (not including the poor Wolfpack) and we also face Clemson at home which gives us a better chance to come away with a victory.

Brian: We agree. Clemson wins this game. Sure, they are 2-6 on Thursday nights and are on the road, but Wake hasn't shown the ability to run the ball or stop the run, and if Bowden doesn't completely blow it tonight, the Davis/Spiller rushing attack should have a big night.

Happy Time: Motherwell, Football and Fenway

Providing your daily dose of happy.

First, props to Will Blackmon, who ran back a punt 76 yards to the hiz-ouse last Monday against the Vikings. In case you missed it, we gotcha covered, partner.

It was a good time to be an Eagle in the NFL last weekend ...


Happy Birthday Brett Motherwell. Eagle fans may remember that Motherwell was permanently dismissed from the Eagles men's hockey team last season after violating undisclosed team rules. Motherwell would go on to sign an American Hockey League contract with the Syracuse Crunch. In his two years with the Eagles, he tallied 7 goals and 45 assists in 81 games.

Here's some more You Tubage of Motherwell getting his frustration out on a Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguin.

Happy Anniversary to the Boston College football team. On this date four years ago, you beat Penn State 21-7 in the 2004 home opener. Paul Peterson threw for 199 yards and 3 scores in the winning effort. And a redshirt freshman running back by the name of Andre Callendar came off the bench to fill in for an injured L.V. Whitworth. Callendar would finish the night with 27 carries for 114 yards.

Random factoid: Boston College is 2-1 playing on September 11, with a 14-13 win in Chestnut Hill against Texas in 1976 and a 45-14 Mountaineer beat down of the Eagles in Morgantown 1971.


Happy Trails Fenway Park as host of the ACC baseball championship in 2009. The ACC found a replacement venue for next year's tournament in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Apparently due to an in-house scheduling error, Fenway Park wasn't available to host next year's tournament. The tournament is slated to be held in Boston for the 2010 season.

Hopefully the Eagles can, you know, make an appearance in this tournament some time in the near future.


TV Picks

Brian: Tonight it's the Battle of the BCS Bottom Feeder Conference Part 1 with North Carolina visiting Rutgers for the Thursday night ESPN game. (Part II is Virginia at Connecticut on Saturday). I know you'll be watching tonight. North Carolina is something like 0 for 1,000 outside of the state of North Carolina (actual stat: 0 for 20 in their last 20 outside of North Carolina), while Rutgers is coming off an opening weekend loss to Fresno State at home. Who do you like? Make a prediction.

Jeff: This game is tough to predict and tough for me to choose a side here. If UNC wins that will get people talking about the Tar Heels being decent which they are not. If Rutgers wins, the ACC looks bad. But Rutgers looked real bad against Fresno State in a nationally televised game at home already. I'm gonna give UNC a slight edge in a fairly low scoring game but it's really just a coin toss.

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

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

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


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

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

Wrap-up notes:

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

From Ol' Virginia:

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

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


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

From College Football Live:

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

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

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

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

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


TV Picks

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

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

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

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

TV Picks

Yes, there is certainly Sweet 16 and Elite 8 men's basketball to watch this weekend. But there is also exciting playoff college hockey with your BC Eagles in action Saturday night. If you absolutely can't make it to Worcester this weekend for the Northeast regionals, here is a listing of where you can catch the games on the tube.

Watching from the NYC area, I'm probably going to turn off my cell phone and watch it on tape delay starting at 10:30pm EST Saturday night on MSG.

Opening Round game - Boston College v. Minnesota, Saturday 7:30pm EST

• Boston (WSBK) - live
• Minneapolis (Fox Sports North) - live
• Kansas City (Metrosports) - live
• Providence (Cox RI) - tape delayed starting at 9:30pm EST
• New York (MSG) - tape delayed starting at 10:30pm EST
• Rochester (Time Warner Rochester) - tape delayed, 3/30 at 10:30am EST
• New Orleans (Cox Sports Television) - tape delayed, 4/1 at 12:30pm CST

EDIT - The Minnesota game will also be shown nationally on ESPNU, tape delayed, 3/30 starting at 1:00am EST.

Should the Eagles advance, the Northeast Regional final between Boston College and the winner of Miami (Ohio)-Air Force will be shown live on ESPNU, Sunday 4:30pm.

Go BC!

TV Picks

Jeff is on hand to watch a full day of basketball in Charlotte. He sends us this pic of the arena prior to the noon tip between (8) Wake Forest and (9) Florida State (in progress). Since we all can't be as lucky as Jeff, here is information from ATL Eagle regarding tonight's game watches and TV schedules.

For readers in the greater New York City metro area, read on.

How can a conference tournament game for the #1 basketball conference in the country not be on television in the largest TV market in the country - NYC?!

• TV - blackout
• ESPN.com 360 - not provided on Time Warner Cable
• Pat O'Briens - on the other side of the city
  

You would think the "Worldwide Leader" would bump ESPNU Give N Go (whatever that is) for some extra ACC tournament action on ESPNU (which I actually get as part of Time Warner cable).

/cries as he takes out his credit card to shell out the $4.99 for ACC Select coverage

In NO WAY do I question BC's move from the Big East to the ACC, but its right around this time of year that I start to reminisce on having the Big East basketball tournament take place down the street at MSG (right in my backyard).

End of rant.

Tyrese Rice and the Big Finish

Jeff: Nice article praising Rice in the Herald this morning. In it he basically says what I stated earlier this week that the Eagles can win out the rest of the way and make the dance. Which puts a lot of weight on this game in Tallahassee tomorrow. Boston College needs a win tomorrow to get things started back in the right direction again. Florida State is very beatable and being an afternoon game on Saturday at a football school with a 4-8 conference record I don't expect the crowd to be an issue.

Brian: We are not making the Dance. I'm so happy that the Herald reaffirms your misplaced optimism, Jeff.

Brian: Huge Hockey East battle this weekend starting tonight in Chestnut Hill (on NESN). #2 New Hampshire vs. your #7 Eagles in a home-and-home. 6 points separate the two teams. Make a prediction.

Jeff: I'm going to go conservative and predict a split. We hoped that the Eagles would be fewer than 6 points back at this point and the Eagles just need to play some good hockey and get ready for the tournaments.

Brian: 80th Academy Awards this weekend. As I know you just love movies, best picture. Who ya got?

Jeff: Finding Nemo? Is that up for any awards?

Brian: Let's be thankful this is not weekly banter on pop culture. Best picture and director - No Country for Old Men, best actor - Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood).

Jeff: Other than the Academy Awards, what else you watching this weekend? Gonna watch BC-FSU? Or am I gonna have to keep you updated via text messages?

Brian: The BC game is not on television up north, text updates would be appreciated. I'll be shoveling out the walkways in Brooklyn. Great weekend for college hoops all around, capped with #1 Memphis hosting #2 Tennessee Saturday at 9pm.

Jeff: Other than basketball I might not turn on the TV this weekend. Andy comes into town Sunday, hopefully we'll be playing some golf if the weather cooperates.

TV Picks

Brian: Jeff, BC men's basketball returns home to face the NC State Wolfpack this evening at Conte Forum (7pm, ESPN). I will actually be able to watch tonight as I'll be on a plane to Sacramento (spending the long weekend with my girlfriend's fam). Are you going to get to watch the game tonight given that its Valentine's Day? Break down tonight's matchup.

Jeff: Brian, it's Valentine's Day so I think that might mean a few (more) empty seats in the stands tonight. But, it's on ESPN so that usually brings out a couple more students with signs. So I predict 6,200 in the stands. But will those people be cheering or quiet? I'm predicting big cheers. I expect a win and maybe even a big win. BC has been playing better despite being on a six game slide but that all ends tonight. NC State is a team Boston College should beat on their floor and I think tonight they continue to get healthier and become a more cohesive unit. Big game tonight for Rice, Oates, Sanders, Raji and Southern. You heard it here first. 12+ point victory for the Eagles tonight!

Brian: Wow! A 12 point victory when the line is -4 BC (which is pretty much a 50/50 toss up with the edge going to the home Eagles). A bold prediction. I like your optimism, Jeff. I think we'll win, but I don't think it will be by 4. I am predicting a 4 point (or less) victory by the Eagles tonight.

TV Picks: BC vs. Vermont

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

Brian: If I had Comcast cable, I would be watching the Boston College - Vermont men's Hockey East showdown on CN8, tonight at 7:30pm. It's not often you get to watch the Eagles on TV outside of the Beanpot and the NCAAs. But unfortunately, I don't, so I'll probably flip back and forth between Duke @ Temple (ESPN) and UNC-Asheville vs. UNC (ESPN U) men's basketball tonight to see how good the top of the ACC is this year. What you watching?

Jeff: Well my roommate is a die-hard Duke fan. So I know I'll be catching at least some of that. I'm also going to be switching over to NBC for Deal or No Deal at 8:00. Unfortunately, I also will not be able to catch the hockey game.