How Howard came about

BC scheduled Howard because that is what Brad Bates and Steve Addazio want. One could point the finger at the ACC's flip-flop on conference games, the ripple effect of Army cancelling a few years ago, the ripple effect of Syracuse becoming a conference game, or the ripple effect of New Mexico State rejoining a conference. It doesn't matter. BC's leaders surveyed all their options and this one made the most sense.

New Mexico State's return date has been on the schedule for a while. However, no one ever really thought it would happen. Once the Aggies rejoined a conference they were left with too many non-conference games. Of their potential games, BC remained their least lucrative and therefore most likely to be cancelled. Brad Bates knew that. BC had time to find a replacement. But none of the solutions made sense.

Solution 1: Play a one off against a Power 5

These games are always available. TV will usually help out in flipping around schedules and most Power 5 programs will gladly buy a game if they don't need a return date. Even recently Tennessee needed a game when UAB folded. This would have been my preference. But I am not AD. BC doesn't need a big payout and doesn't want to set a precedent of not getting return games from peer conferences. Addazio also didn't want to stunt the team's growth by going on the road against heavy weight, especially when we are already playing Notre Dame out of conference

Solution 2: Schedule another one for one with any FBS school

Scheduling one for ones out of the conference isn't that difficult for BC. We are a respectable, but not threatening opponent with a good TV partner in a desirable destination. If Bates calls most programs they will consider future opportunities. The challenge this go-around was finding one who was willing to come to Alumni in 2015.

Solution 3: Buy a game

Every team has its price. BC could have paid some team to come to Alumni for a one off. The problem is that it would have been very expensive. Even with the money from the New Mexico State penalty, it would have been hard for BC to pay SEC dollars to a visitor. We just don't have the ticket revenue. I am sure there were a few eager teams willing to come to BC to beef up their own resume without a blockbuster payday. However, I don't think Addazio wanted test the team like that.

So BC ended up with Howard: a team willing to come to BC at BC's price. The obvious downsides -- outside of losing -- is a disappointed fan base and not getting enough wins for bowl qualification. But the demand for tickets seems to be pretty inelastic. Even with USC and Clemson on the schedule, we didn't sell out Alumni. If we replaced Howard with an Alabama, would Alumni sell out? Would our season tickets packages skyrocket? Probably not. It is going to take a series of things -- including winning -- to improve attendance. The bowl issue could be troublesome but I think BC can politic out of that issue too. If we go 6-6, I think we will still go bowling. There are just so many slots and ESPN remains in our corner. What NCAA team is going to protest if a 6-6 BC team goes to some bottom tier bowl?

Playing two FCS teams is not ideal, but I don't think it will be the norm. BC has scheduling issues ahead, but I think Bates and Addazio will navigate those issues as they try to build a winner.

Football releases 2015 schedule

The ACC and BC finally released their 2015 schedule. The only real news on BC's front is that New Mexico State is officially out and replaced by...Howard. This is not a good schedule. It doesn't line up well. It doesn't help sell tickets. The only thing it does well is set BC up for a true transition. We are breaking in a new, young QB and a new play caller. The team will be fairly young. This soft schedule enables them to bottom out, yet still keep up momentum and still continue winning.

September 5 -- Maine
September 12 -- Howard
September 18 -- Florida State
September 26 -- Northern Illinois
October 3 -- at Duke
October 10 -- Wake Forest
October 17 -- at Clemson
October 24 -- at Louisville
October 31 -- Virginia Tech
November 7 -- NC State
November 21 -- Notre Dame at Fenway Park
November 28 -- at Syracuse

Home Sweet Home
BC will play seven home games and a game at Fenway. That leaves only four true road games. And the first road test doesn't even come until October. BC wasn't great at home this past year, but that doesn't mean playing at Alumni is not always preferred. As the roster matures, the home-road will be less of an issue, but for now it is a good thing.

Howard?
Brad Bates is going to take heat for scheduling this game, but it is not all his fault. Addazio wanted a light schedule too. When New Mexico State bailed on their return game, that left BC scrambling. We didn't want to buy an expensive home game. We didn't want to travel. We didn't want to face a traditional power. So after not being able to find a lower-level FBS school, we were forced to look to FCS again. With some of our other FCS games, you can spin the matchup as a regional rivalry or traditional opponent. This isn't. Howard won't sell any tickets and won't bring any juice. This is a glorified scrimmage. But if that is what Addazio thinks we need to build the program, let him do his thing. Playing two FCSs also makes bowl eligibility that much more difficult. We now have to win seven regular season games.

Scary October
On the surface, the toughest stretch is at Clemson, at Louisville and then playing VT at home on Halloween. BC needs to get win one of those. A three-game losing streak going into the final month could be a huge momentum killer.

FSU Friday
I think BC fans have accepted the idea of an annual Friday game. However, hosting the most exciting opponent on a Friday upset some ticket holders. There is not much BC can do on this front. Per contract BC hosts a Friday game every year. Also per contract, every ACC team has to play a certain number of Friday games over the life of our ESPN TV deal. It was just a matter of time before the 'Noles were slotted for one of our Friday games. Ideally the Friday game would always be Labor Day Weekend or the Friday after Thanksgiving. That will happen soon, but for now this is just part of the new reality of college football.