Who is Weber State and what are they doing on BC's schedule

When Hofstra dropped football, it left an immediate hole in BC's 2010 schedule. We hoped and prayed for an interesting replacement. Most expected another DIAA/FCS team from the north east. Instead we got Weber State. Needless to say this is a missed opportunity.

I don't mean to slight Weber State in any of this. They are a nice school with a fine athletic tradition. But they are a DIAA program from Ogden, Utah. People wonder if the southern ACC schools register with the casual Boston fan. Can you imagine the head scratching that will go on when they hear we are playing Weber State?

But let me put aside any slights to Weber for a moment and address the reason this is a missed opportunity.

1. The DIAA game should always be strategicly placed in the schedule. We are opening with Weber on Labor Day weekend. I predict 25,000 for the game. If we had placed Weber on Parents Weekend, we could have approached a sellout.
2. It throws out the "good for New England" game. When BC first started adding DIAA teams back to the schedule, Gene spun the games as good for New England. Most cynics saw through it, but there were some legitimate benefits. The regional schools always brought decent crowds and BC was able to get a safe win and provide a nice pay day to a fellow New England university. As Northeastern showed, all DIAA schools need money. Instead of benefiting UNH or Maine or some other New England school we are paying a Utah program to be our patsy.
3. We put a damper on any buzz related to Herzy's first home game. This game could be Herzy's return to football. It should be on national TV. Now we will probably be lucky to get an ESPN 360 feed. I know you can't build a schedule based on contingencies. But ESPN, BC and the ACC should have done more to arrange for a good opponent for Herzy's sake.

I understand that Gene was under time constraints. I understand that playing another FBS school would have made the schedule unnecessarily difficult. But there had to be a better resolution than Weber on Labor Day weekend. It is too bad we didn't find one.

BC-Northeastern preview

I’ve never been so excited and relieved to write a preview. As I will explain tomorrow, everything that has happened (good and bad) over the past nine months is behind us. It’s time to play football. Northeastern might not get your blood pumping, but the Huskies are the first step down a long path. They are a suitable opponent for this raw team. BC should use this game to see who turns it on in game situations, build confidence and pad the record. Are you ready for some football?

Narrative talking point that you’ll tire of by the end of the game.
“BC’s been through a lot this offseason…” Every year I whine about repetitive themes that the broadcasters rehash on a weekly basis. This year will be no different and will start in full force Saturday with a recount of the Jags firing, McClaughlin’s Achilles, Herzy’s cancer and Davis’ grades. I understand that not everyone is as familiar with our offseason travails as we hardcore fans tend to be. But those issues shouldn’t have a real impact on the Northeastern game.

Three Simple Keys
1. Dominate the line of scrimmage. Think back to our last FCS opponent URI. We controlled the line so well that Dominique Davis looked good and ran around with ease.
2. Get an early score. I fear this team will have a fragile psyche. Don’t let the Huskies hang around.
3. Come away healthy. I know you can’t really control this, but please let’s hope that we come away unscathed.

Gambling Notes

-- BC is 4-0 against Northeastern
-- Since Frank Leahy, BC coaches are 7-6 in their first games
-- BC has not had a betting line with the last five FCS (fka DIAA) we have played
There is no line on the game with the major sports books

Factoid
Since Harvard doesn’t use scholarships, Northeastern is the only Boston-based opponent that we can play and still count the win towards bowl eligibility.

Scoreboard Watching
The most important game of the weekend is Alabama-Virginia Tech. The Hokies can set the tone for their season and for the ACC.

I hope to see…
One good QB emerge. I don’t want to see any of the guys fall flat on their face. I just hope that one plays so well that we start to feel like we have a QB for this season.

BC is in trouble if…
We turn the ball over 4+ times. I don’t think the passing game is all that important this week. But a few turnovers could make this interesting.

Bottom Line
This should be a glorified scrimmage. It’s a confidence builder. Northeastern is not a good team and shouldn’t be much of a challenge. If we struggle it might be an ominous sign. I think we’ll be fine and cruise to the win.
Final Score: BC 37, Northeastern 10