Stanford added to future schedules

The good news is that BC scheduled another Power 5 series. The bad news is that it is more than a decade away. When BC plays Stanford in 2028 and 2029, both schools will be very different and very likely playing under different coaches.

This is a step in the right direction on many fronts. Stanford is a good role model on how an Athletic Department should look. We have legions of fans in California who will jump at the chance to see a game in person. Even with potential coaching changes down the road, adding Stanford helps BC's perception. We can sell this type of scheduling to the media and recruits.

My doubt about the series is still in effect. If the ACC adds a ninth game, this series could be in trouble. If the Power 5 break off, this series could be in jeopardy. Future football coaches and ADs from both schools might not want to play the game.

Brad Bates deserves credit for signing the deal. Now let's hope this one stays and we get more schedule quality in the coming seasons.

All college football schedules now written in pencil

The rumored is now official as BC and Ohio State pushed back their series to 2023 and 2024. It is nice to have the games on paper but I doubt it ever happens. Nine years is an eternity in any sport, but especially one like college football. The rules, philosophies and leaders change so often, you can't count on anything beyond a season or two. BC and Ohio State will certainly have new football coaches and ADs by the time the series is played. Any of those four people could kill the series as it approaches for a myriad of reasons. I am disappointed but not heart broken. I don't care about playing Ohio State. I care about playing interesting and historically strong teams. The good news about college football's constant chaos is that there will be good games in the near future.

The biggest unknown with regards to college football scheduling is the new Power 5. The majority of coaches want to keep scheduling to just the Power 5. That's where the most TV and ticket money is too, so I assume ADs and TV executives will follow. That's a good thing for fans. Instead of a series of MAC or FCS games, all of our out of conference games would be against respectable teams. And the good news is that it won't cost BC a ton of money. If it is mandated by the new rules of the Power 5, scheduling good games will actually become easier. That might lead to some random games (BC vs Mississippi State! or BC vs Texas Tech!), but any type of Power 5 team would be an improvement over some of the random teams we've hosted in recent years.

The only downside of the Power 5 mandate is that we would lose out on some traditional opponents like Army or the chance to play newly scholarshiped FCS teams like Fordham or Holy Cross. But give me exciting football over nostalgia any day.

Outside of mandates, the other unknown is the ACC's potential ninth game. But as I've written before, that is probably the conference's last card to play.

For now all Bates and Addazio can do is work the phones and look for good schedule opportunities in the next two seasons. Beyond that it is just a waiting game. With the way this also shakes out we might end of playing Ohio State well before 2023.

The 8+1 schedule is great for BC

The ACC announced that they would move to a new scheduling format that mandates eight ACC conferences games and one non-conference game against a team from one of the Five Power conferences. This is the same format as the SEC and avoids the nine-game schedule used by the Pac 12, Big Ten and Big XII. The ACC move was ultimately about protecting non-conference rivalries like Florida-Florida State or Clemson-Georgia Tech, but what I think it works out best for a program like BC.

Under the new Notre Dame agreement we will play the Irish less (basically six out of ten years). While we've done a good job of finding like-minded or traditional powers to fill the void on non-ND years, there is always a temptation to find a nice win to pad the records. But cupcake opponents don't drive ticket demand and don't bring much national respect. Now regardless of who the coach is or what our AD wants to do, we know that BC will always have one good non-conference game annually.

Finally this move accelerates the idea of BC playing more games out west. The Alumni population in California is growing and the response to the USC game was impressive. We already reach the South through our ACC schedule and the Midwest with our frequent Notre Dame and MAC games. Plus the Pac 12 tend to be the most aggressive schedulers of the major conferences. I think most would gladly sign up for a two-game series with BC.  

The ACC is doing this to appease its members, appease its TV partners and strengthen its positioning for the playoff committee. It is not about BC. But it adds stability to our conference and good games to our schedule. That's good for BC fans.

Real rivalry renewed

BC scheduled a two-game football series with Holy Cross for 2018 and 2020. This is great news for those who love BC history and for those who want us to schedule wisely.

We have rivalries with Notre Dame and history with plenty of opponents. But our only true historical rival is Holy Cross. Not playing and the changing demographics of the two schools have ended what was THE "game" among Eastern Massachusetts Catholics. Ending the series made sense once Holy Cross stop offering scholarships and BC stopped playing DIAA (now FCS) teams. But the pendulum has swung back. Everyone plays FCS and Holy Cross and some of their conference mates are back to offering scholarships.

I would prefer a tough schedule filled with the best teams in college football. But that is not how the system works. If we have to play one FCS team a year, I want it to be a team that generates some excitement. This game will be fun and should bring out a decent amount of Holy Cross. This is a good for everyone involved.

Schedule filled and other links

According to an ESPN report, BC filled its open 2014 date with Colorado State. That might not fire up the casual fan, but it is a solid way to fill out the season. Next year will be filled with growing pains as we replace a QB and adjust the offense. Colorado State is the type of opponent that should be an underdog but will give us some credibility.

Boston College adds Sept. 27, 2014 home game with Colorado State
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) December 6, 2013

BC dominated UNH Friday. Six different Eagles scored.

The Women's Basketball team lost to Wisconsin on Thursday.

More good recruiting news and other links

The recruiting train doesn't stop. Addazio picked up two more verbals Tuesday. Critically Ohio kicker Mike Knoll said he is headed to BC. He's a kicker and punter and could end up doing both at BC. New Jersey DE Joe Vitiello also committed.

The ACC released their cross-division opponent rotation for the next ten years. It is as we expected and a reminder that we won't play the other division much.

Hanlan joined the Canadian National Team Development program.

ESPN also broke news that Eddie Meredith and George Craan left the team. Neither were expected to do much this year.

Herzy hopes to start for the Giants this year.

In case you missed it, here is USA Today's excellent team preview.

The benefits of an eight-game ACC schedule

The ACC has gone back and forth on the issue, but it seems like now there is a consensus that the conference should stick to an eight-game football schedule. This makes the most sense for the ACC from a standpoint of history, money and football.

The driving force behind the initial flirtation with nine games was leveraging that extra game as a tool to get more money out of ESPN. But Notre Dame, the Grant of Rights and the ACC Network have given the conference multiple triggers to expand the TV deal. Adding another game now doesn't make sense. It is one of the conference's last cards to play, so it should be saved for when there might be another need to re-open the TV deal.

Although BC doesn't benefit directly from this, I like that the eight-game schedule allows ACC teams to keep their non-conference rivalries. Games like Louisville-Kentucky, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Florida State-Florida would be less likely if the ACC only had three non-conference games a season. Those games could still be in jeopardy if the SEC expands to nine-conference games, but for now those intersectional games are safe. And playing those games is good for the conference. It gets fans excited and allows us to change the perception of the league (assuming we start winning some of the contests).

Finally this is good for BC football (and the ACC). We know games against the FCS are not going away. We also know that schedule fodder like New Mexico State is not going away. Those games are too important financially and those two wins are critical to perception and bowl eligibility. A ninth ACC game would have left BC with just one non-conference game of note. Eight games allow us to play at least two interesting games. My preferred mix is one peer school (Northwestern, Vanderbilt, etc) and one traditional power (Ohio State, USC, etc.). With eight games that can still happen.

What's the worst thing that happened to BC this weekend?

Where to start?

I would start with the basketball team losing to Virginia, but that is to be expected. Virginia is a good defensive team and made life difficult for our best player (Anderson). Don't read too much into us leading at the half...as we still haven't shown we can play 40 minutes of quality basketball.

The Hockey team usually provides hope to everyone around BC athletics, so when they lose back to back games you start to worry. It was the first time Maine had swept us at home since 1993 (when Maine was at its peak). The last time BC lost consecutive games at home to anyone was 2007.

But the strangest news of the weekend, was the Heights report that our 2013 game against New Mexico State will be a road game!?! Everyone assumed it would be a home game, especially when we settled on playing a team like New Mexico State. Brad Bates has yet to explain why he selected this game and why he seemingly cut a one-off deal where we travel, but I assume it is all about money. I know BC talked to plenty of schools about coming to Boston and all wanted huge guarantees. If we travel we don't pay the opponent. In fact depending on the price of buying a game at Alumni against a lessor program, this might be more lucrative and less risky. Now New Mexico State won't provide the same sort of pay day that travelling to a BCS conference school might have (like Ohio State), but they are FBS. That means that a win in Las Cruces will help our bowl eligibility. The perceived momentum of another win next year might help Addazio and Bates as they rebuild. I know ticket buyers are upset about not having another home game, but would there have been much demand for NM State? Would it have sold out? Probably not. Until we show we can support a six game homeslate, I don't see the Administration in a rush to add a seventh game.

And if that wasn't enough, there's water damage in the Football offices.

Ranking games by importance

Every season has a few turning points. Last year, we beat Clemson when we needed to and saved the season. This year I think there will be a few other turning point games. I also think there will be some must wins from a marketing and momentum standpoint. This is my order. Share yours in the comments.


Most important games
1. Northwestern. This is BC's toughest out of conference schedule in many years. We will need the Northwestern win to help our bowl eligibility. Gene could also use a big win early in the season to help ticket sales.
2. Clemson. It is the first ACC road game. It is also the point when the schedule goes from easy to tough. BC needs to win this game to help the ACC Atlantic standings and keep the momentum going.
3. NC State. This is the last home game of the year. It will probably be TOB's last game in Boston. It comes at a point in the schedule when BC could be in the middle of a losing streak. BC will need this win to end the home slate on a high note and to get the last word with TOB.
4. Florida State. I actually think we will match up well with Florida State. The game's importance is more based on the Thursday night aspect. This will be BC's biggest showcase of the year. They need to play well.
5. Notre Dame. Spaz has yet to beat the Irish. For the casual BC fans this will start to become an issue.
6. Virginia Tech. Probably our toughest road game and chance for a statement.
7. Miami. I don't think this game will have major ACC implications. I also don't think either team will be ranked at this point. But it will be another national television game and BC might need the win to secure bowl eligibility.
8. UCF. First road game and important for early season momentum.
9. Maryland. This could be a trap game given that it comes between VT and FSU.
10. UMass. I expect us to win this game. If we lose the BC and Spaz bandwagon will be empty.
11. Wake Forest. It's Parent's Weekend. You want to make sure everyone is in a good mood.
12. Duke. Very little at stake here. If we win, no one will care. If we lose, no one will care.

Five non-BCS schools we should schedule

Want to see a BC Athletic Department representative roll his or her eyes: suggest that BC should drop the FCS and MAC games and schedule non-conference games against Alabama, Ohio State and Texas every year. We all know it is not going to happen. The FCS game is a permanent slot on every FBS school's schedule. BC is also not going to ever play three BCS opponents out of conference in one season. That means with most of our BCS opponents spoken for over the next ten years (Notre Dame, Syracuse, USC, Northwestern) we should really start to get strategic and creative in which non-BCS opponents we should play. I have my ideas and would like to here yours. (Because BC doesn't have the money to buy games I am assuming that these agreements will always be home and home or on occasion a 2 for 1 in BC's favor.)


1. Northern Illinois The Chicagoland area is important for BC and BC football. We have a strong alumni base there. We continue to accept many students from the area and the football team is now recruiting the area competitively again. Given our history with the MAC, Northern Illinois would probably entertain a 2 for 1, since BCS programs rarely play at their stadiums. The only argument against playing there is that our Chicago fans already have Northwestern and Notre Dame games to attend. There are other pockets of alums that also deserve to see BC in person.

2. San Jose State My rationale for playing the Spartans is very similar to the idea behind playing Northern Illinois. I would much rather play Stanford or Cal in front of our Bay Area fans and alums, but we might have to wait seven or eight years before Stanford and Cal are open on the same year we only have one BCS opponent. We could probably get San Jose State on board in the near future.

3. Temple For years BC wanted Temple off the schedule and now I am suggesting adding them back! But my logic is a bit different now. When the Temple game was a Big East conference game, it represented a dead spot in the schedule. It was filler to pad the win total and generated zero excitement. At the time Temple was one of the worst programs in college football. Now things are a little different. They are much improved and might represent an interesting matchup on occasion. Plus with 12 games, you are going to play some lower level teams. So shouldn't BC play a team that it has a bit of history with? It doesn't hurt that eastern PA and New Jersey are still important recruiting grounds for us. And financially it is an inexpensive trip.

4. Navy Army is back on the schedule, so let's get the Naval Academy back on too. I assume BC has not been in a rush to play Navy because it would represent a very tough game. But assuming that Navy will maintain their current success another five to ten years is presumptuous. What BC should rely on is our history with the Service Academies and our inherent advantages over them on the football field. In most years BC would be a heavy favorite to beat Navy. Not scheduling them out of fear is lame.

5. Tulane Because our ACC schedule brings us south so often, I know Gene wants to visit other areas of the country. But that shouldn't prevent us from playing Tulane. Not only would it be a fun and unique trip for many BC fans, but we should also seek out like minded schools for our opponents. We take pride in doing things the right way and recruiting student athletes. Shouldn't we play other schools that do the same?

BC and ND renew deal and what it means

Some good offseason news as BC and Notre Dame agreed to a six-game extension of our Catholic rivalry. This is big news for BC and for college football.

The BC angle
Despite this game being the most popular among our fanbase, Gene D was willing to walk away from the series due to Notre Dame's demands. We would not sign up for a lopsided series (i.e. 4 ND home games vs 3 BC home games). We entertained Notre Dame's desire for neutral site games but once again weren't willing to do it on just their terms. In this arrangement, the series continues with a few breaks in '13-14 and '17. All articles leave the door open for games beyond 2019. Although part of me dreads the Notre Dame fixation among some BC fans, congratulations are in order to the Athletic Department for pulling this off. By securing the series, the Irish help solidify our out of conference schedule, give the program that added emotional boost, and grow our history and rivalry with the only other Catholic school playing FBS football.

The College Football Angle
The commitment to BC is just one more indicator that Notre Dame is not joining the Big Ten any time soon. Would they be signing these future deals (that come with penalties if they are broken) if they were going to join the Big Ten this summer? If the Irish don't join a conference, then the Big Ten might go to 16 teams and start a chain of events that shakes up even the ACC.

I cannot tell you what the college football landscape will be like in 2019. I cannot tell you the state of BC football in 2019. I can tell you we will be playing Notre Dame -- and for better or worse -- that is all most BC fans care about.

Thoughts on the new schedule

BC only has so much control over its schedule...yet that doesn't mean we can't pick it apart! As a reminder, here is the schedule:


Sept. 4 - Weber State
Sept. 11 - Kent State
Sept. 25 - Virginia Tech
Oct. 2 - Notre Dame
Oct. 9 - @ NC State
Oct. 16 - @ Florida State
Oct. 23 - Maryland
Oct. 30 - Clemson
Nov. 6 - @ Wake Forest
Nov. 13 - @ Duke
Nov. 20 - Virginia
Nov. 27 - @ Syracuse

Here are the issues (good and bad) surrounding the schedule and my thoughts.

Herzy comes back against Weber State. Labor Day weekend has always been an awkward Saturday for BC football. Many students are not on campus yet. Many locals use it as a last weekend of the summer getaway and the Boston sports scene is distracted by the Red Sox and a major golf tournament. With Herzy's pending return, we could have used our opener to turn the game into a major event. Instead we have a cupcake in Weber State. The game will probably not be on TV and there will be 20,000 fans in the stands. Another wasted opportunity.

Soft opening. If you look beyond the marketing and momentum, opening with Weber and then Kent State will be a good for the team. Like last year we will still have some questions around our passing game and some key spots to fill on defense. Playing two easy games and having a bye prior to a home game against VT is a nice way to start the season.
October could be scary. It is a brutal five game stretch that includes our two toughest road game. The middle of the schedule also includes four of the five division games. One month will make or break the season.
Syracuse back where it belongs It will be nice to close the season with the Orange. Closing with a Big East team also means we will know our division fate well before the final weekend.

Overall this is a very fair and forgiving schedule. If we go 3-2 in October, we will certainly finish with a winning record. I won't make a final prediction yet, but we should be bowling again.

2010 Schedule

Here is the first look at the 2010 schedule.


Sept. 4 - Weber State
Sept. 11 - Kent State
Sept. 25 - Virginia Tech
Oct. 2 - Notre Dame
Oct. 9 - @ NC State
Oct. 16 - @ Florida State
Oct. 23 - Maryland
Oct. 30 - Clemson
Nov. 6 - @ Wake Forest
Nov. 13 - @ Duke
Nov. 20 - Virginia
Nov. 27 - @ Syracuse




I'll have more later today.

An opening in BC's schedule

Hofstra abruptly dropped their football program this morning. That leaves BC with an opening in their 2010 schedule. No word on who BC might look to in order to fill the void. I expect we will find another FCS (DIAA) school. I would love to see another FBS (DIA) opponent.

You can check out other teams' future schedules here. If we go FBS, the Big Ten might have some openings. UConn is also available since they were supposed to play Northeastern.

Kent State game will be televised!

Fear not those who cannot get to Cleveland for Labor Day weekend, the Kent State game will be on TV. The game is set for prime time on ESPN U.

I know some die hard sports fans hoped to create their own baseball/football double header by going to the Indians game too. The Tribe plays Seattle at 3:55 PM. You could probably catch seven innings before having to walk over to the Browns stadium in time for kickoff.

One more observation...with all the talk of conferences creating their own networks, there hasn't been much speculation about the ACC. At this point I don't think it is needed. We have the ACC network -- it's called ESPN U. They seemingly pick up any ACC football or basketball game they can get their hands on.

First reaction to 2008 schedule 2.0

The Globe jumped the gun on the schedule released a few weeks ago. Turns out this is the real schedule.

Aug. 30 at Kent State
Sept. 6 Georgia Tech
Sept. 20 Central Florida
Sept. 27 Rhode Island
Oct. 4 at North Carolina State
Oct. 18 Virginia Tech
Oct. 25 at North Carolina
Nov. 1 Clemson
Nov. 8 Notre Dame
Nov. 15 at Florida State
Nov. 22 at Wake Forest
Nov. 29 Maryland

The first four games are consistent with the floated schedule. My thoughts stand -- it is a good line-up for our young team.

The second part of the schedule softens from the first release. I think we'll need the bye week before VT.

The final stretch is tough. Florida State will be at full strength. Wake the week after FSU. However, I like closing with Maryland at home.

Overall I still think this sets up nicely for a bowl season.

Central Florida official and other links

Our schedule is set. Central Florida will come to Boston next season. BC will return to Orlando in 2011. This is a good game for BC. I'll have more this game and our schedule next week. (Thanks to the group of guys who sent the link today.)

A nice feature on BC Guy and current New York Giant Chris Snee.

Three BC teams were honored for their sportsmanship.

Buried in this notebook is a short blurb on Troy Bell playing in Italy. (Thanks to Bill P. for the link.)