BC might debut on ACC Network

The ACC Network is still another year away, but BC could find out soon if they will play the first football game on the network. Half the conference can't play on the network that weekend in 2019 because they've already booked a non-conference game. BC hasn't locked in a game yet making them a likely candidate.

In my opinion being the first game -- or one of the first -- is a good thing. BC can hype it up to recruits and earn some goodwill with the schedulers at ESPN.

The downside is we don't know what the carriage issues will be like then. I would hate for BC fans to not be able to see the game due to a fight between cable companies and the conference. Hopefully there is some online option for those who won't have the ACC Network in 2019.

Ohio State football series pushed back again

For the second time, BC's future football series with Ohio State is getting rescheduled. The games are now scheduled to take place in 2026 and 2027. I wouldn't count on either game ever happening.

What makes this unique for BC and Ohio State is that Martin Jarmond is technically in charge of scheduling at Ohio State, and starting in June will be in charge of BC's schedule. Neither BC or Ohio State attributed any quotes to Jarmond nor did the school reference his ties to both schools. There is not quote from Addazio or Bates either.

The reality is that as much as Jarmond is "in charge of" scheduling, he is really just doing what Urban Meyer wants. By pushing the series back, it makes it that much more likely this game won't happen. It also increases the odds that Meyer won't have to face his friend Addazio. Based on coaching trends, it is unlikely that both will still be in their respective jobs. Plus Addazio will be 66 at kickoff.

I don't know if Addazio wants this game either. His recent schedule moves have been against lower-tier Power 5 teams. He is looking for very winnable games. It is likely that even in 2026, BC would be an underdog to the Buckeyes.

I am disappointed. I would like to see more opponents like Ohio State, not fewer. The landscape in college sports keeps changing, so I have no idea what 2026 will bring. TV deals and more conference shakeups, not to mention a potential rights fees bubble, could mean that teams play more conference games or it could mean ESPN has even more say over non-conference games. Now that BC has a opening, I hope Jarmond uses it to find a great replacement for Ohio State. As I have said and written many times, it is worth the risk for BC.

Rutgers returns to the schedule

BC agreed to a home and home series with Rutgers. Of course with the nature of college football, the series won't take place until 2026 and 2027. I know BC has to lock in games now and works hard to find the right type of Power 5 teams to play, but to me this is just being overly cautious. Scheduling Rutgers for a series three years from now would be smart scheduling. Scheduling Rutgers ten years from now -- over any and all possible College Football power -- is a missed opportunity.

As I've pointed out in many of these future scheduling discussions, it is highly likely that neither Addazio or Rutgers coach Chris Ash will be leading their respective teams in 2026. It is highly likely that Jim Harbaugh won't be coaching Michigan in 2026 and I doubt that 65 year-old Nick Saban will be coaching Alabama in 2026. Why not swing for the fences and schedule a really big name program? We don't know if we will catch them on a downswing. We don't know where BC will be. There is risk, but what's the worse thing that could happen? Two losses. But the upside, aside from two wins, is the positive perception that scheduling a power brings. You can sell it to recruits. You can sell it to fans. It is a sign that the current leaders of the program have faith in its future.

It is not like Addazio or Bates are going to be around to play this potential juggernaut. You would think they would want to leverage the positive short-term aspects of scheduling a power. I hope they see the big picture.

Other than scheduling a potential loss for the program, the only reason I can see BC avoiding super powers ten years from now would be the buyout clause. Perhaps Bates doesn't want to straddle the program with a seven figure buyout if BC's future coach doesn't want to play an Oklahoma or Texas.

I don't know. Maybe the whole landscape of college football will be so different in 2026 that playing Rutgers will not matter. Or maybe it will prove to be prudent. I just wish BC would take the occasional risk. We have nothing to lose.

BC announces series with Mizzou

A week after the ACC finally clarified its future scheduling format, BC made a move to bolster its own future schedule. Brad Bates scheduled a home and home series with Mizzou. The games will take place in 2021 (at Alumni) and 2024 (in Columbia). While this might be the least exciting potential SEC opponent, this is still a great move and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Considering the ACC and SEC are sticking with eight games while the Big XII, Big Ten and Pac 12 play nine conference games, I think there will be plenty of SEC teams in BC's future. Teams from both conferences will be looking for decent non-conference, Power 5 matchups and both sides will have plenty of openings. We are unlikely to see Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, or South Carolina, since all already have permanent non-conference Power 5 opponents. However, nearly all the other SEC teams are options. If I were Brad Bates, I would schedule Alabama now. There is no way that Saban is still coaching there in 2025 and beyond. Hell, it is highly unlikely that Bates will be BC's AD in 2025. Might as well look like you've done something big -- schedule the nation's best program -- and leave some other BC administration and coaching staff to actually play the games.

As for Missouri, who knows what they will be like when we play them. They are not good now, but have had plenty of recent success. Traditionally they are a mediocre major conference program. They are the type of team we traditionally can and should compete with. I've never been to a game in Columbia, so I don't know if it will be an exciting trip. Their gameday reputation doesn't come with the expectations of LSU or Ole Miss. But the game matters more than the destination.

Now that the Power 5 aspect of our schedule is filling up, I hope Bates improves the other slots. All FCS opponents should be based in New England or Catholic. That is the only way to generate interest (and justify) those opponents. As soon as Holy Cross is at its full compliment of scholarships, they should be our FCS opponent four out of five years. As for the mid-majors, it is all about our alumni and recruiting. Find programs where we can recruit in their backyard (like Ohio) or where we have local fans (California). 

I know smart scheduling helps build a program. We are pretty close to that now with regards to future Power 5s. Now we just need smart football coaching. 

Truth comes out on ACC Network deal

There has been plenty of talk about future ACC Football schedules. Would the conference move to nine league games? Could Georgia Tech's idea of eight ACC games plus two Power 5 games even work from a logistics standpoint? The league delayed their decision on future schedules Friday but will have to decided soon. We know that because the new ACC Network contractually calls for ten Power 5 games per team!

So when the smoke clears, schedule changes are not about playoff spots, computer rankings or even the idea of the conference wanting to challenge itself. It is all about TV money. ESPN gave the conference a bunch of money and now wants some good games. I don't blame them and think the ACC's greed will be good for BC Football fans. One way or another our team will be forced to beef up its schedule. You won't have to sit through as many lame home games because ESPN won't pay for them.

In a world where BC is forced to play ten Power 5 games, my preference is the 8+2 model. This is purely for the variety it would bring to the schedule. And if BC has trouble finding willing and interesting Power 5 teams, they can always schedule non-conference games against other ACC teams in need of a game. Would anyone object to playing Pitt or Miami at random intervals to fill out the schedule?

This doesn't mean that Bates has to schedule Alabama and Texas tomorrow. The ACC has some run up time built into the TV and ACC Network deal. The looming Big 12 expansion also means that the pool of Power 5 teams could expand at any minute. But in the end, this will lead to BC playing more teams that matter. If you are a fan of football and tired of cupcakes, this is great news.

Half empty or half full? BC schedules two game series with Purdue

I am glad BC scheduled a two-game series with Purdue. I've been complaining about soft scheduling and the flimsy excuses for our recent schedules, so I view booking a Power 5 team as the right step. Doing it in advance (the series is for 2018 and 2020) also solidifies BC's Power 5 requirement for the next few years (Notre Dame is scheduled for 2017 and 2019). Great news! Congrats to Brad Bates for booking the series! We get to play and Big Ten team we've never faced! Give us all ya got, Boilermakers!

Yet for all the excitement, there is still a sense of cynicism in this series. Right now Purdue is a very bad team. Arguably better than BC, but still bad. We have no idea what they will be like in 2018 or 2020, but the odds are they won't be great. It will take a long time for Darrell Hazell or more likely his successor, to become good again. Maybe it will be by 2018, but unlikely. Even if Hazell is fired next year, 2018 will only be Year 2 of the new coach's tenure. Purdue's situation certainly factored into the scheduling. Addazio and Bates used their first Power 5 matchup not as a chance to test the team or excite their fanbase, but to win a game. They are not the first to schedule like this and won't be the last but that doesn't make it fun.

When BC scheduled the USC series, they were still a dynasty. When we finally played them, we caught them in a down cycle and went 1-1. But we still were able to rally around playing and beating the Trojans. Even if we go 2-0 against Purdue, I don't see the series providing any residual benefit beyond meeting the Power 5 mandate. It is a wasted opportunity. Few will get excited about a trip to West Lafayette. While good academically, Purdue is not considered a peer school. Indiana is not a focal point in recruiting.

I hope the series with Purdue is great. I also hope this is just the first step in more exciting scheduling. And I hope BC wins and I hope I am wrong about BC's motivations in scheduling.

Bates gets scheduling gift from Big XII

The Big XII announced a new schedule mandate: all teams must play a non-conference game against a Power 5 team or Notre Dame. It is being referred to as the "Baylor" rule, but plenty of the members have loaded up on cupcakes. The reason for the rule is to help the Conference's power rating with regards to the Playoff Selection Committee. Because current scheduled games are grandfathered into the clause, this doesn't create dozens of openings. But it does create an opportunity for Brad Bates. There are now ten more schools looking for future Power 5 opponents. While BC doesn't offer a big pay day, we do offer a an attractive and seemingly winnable game to the potential opponents.

While none of the Big XII schools would be my first choice for a future game, there is enough variety in their membership that Bates is sort of boxed in with his excuses.

If he wants a traditional power/and big pay day...there's Texas and Oklahoma. I think BC fans would turn out in big numbers for a game in Austin. And a return visit from either team would surely fill Alumni and create good buzz. Norman might not be an attractive road trip, but come on! Who wouldn't love to see BC play Oklahoma?

If Bates just wants to play private school Power 5 teams...there's TCU and Baylor. Scheduling either right now might seem daunting. Both are at their historic peak. But I would welcome either. By the time we get them on the field, it could be very likely both will have reverted to something closer to their historical position in college football.

If he wants a matchup with history...there's West Virginia. This matchup predates our Big East membership and goes back to when both teams were Eastern Independents. We've played them 33 times. It is also a relatively close game, so the charter flight costs are a little less.

If he wants a winnable game...there's Kansas and Iowa State. Both could get better by the time we play them, but both are traditionally bad. We shouldn't be scared to schedule either.

The only real teams that don't fit any of BC's potential profiles for a non-conference game are Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. But all would be much better than playing another cupcake.

I doubt BC will add a Big XII team. Bates and Addazio's scheduling moves have been transparent. We can only hope that the ACC starts mandating the type of scheduling the Big XII just embraced.

More info on future schedules

Per FBschedules.com, BC added Ohio to the 2020 schedule. By itself that is not a bad game or a big deal. However, in the context of all our future scheduling, it is terrible. Bates and Addazio keep shrugging and explaining that they are penned in by past commitments and conference switches and that is why our non-conference schedule disappoints. They will also say that it takes years to schedule another Power 5 team. There are elements of truth to all of that. But it also covers up their desire to keep the schedule soft. If they really wanted to add some challenges to the future, they would be doing it now. Instead they are locking in winnable games.

Bates is also misreading the college landscape and his own fanbase. I do agree that winning easy games is probably a better perception decision than losing hard ones. Recruits, the media and most fans look at W-L first and not who you played. However, by 2020 Addazio should be beyond padding the win total. If he still needs those Ws in his 8th year, then something is wrong. At that point he should be established enough that BC can take a risk. If he's not, then there will be pressure to fire him whether we are beating Ohio or losing to Alabama.

Buffalo on the 2016 schedule

BC's 2016 schedule is becoming a little more clear. After working FOIA requests, MattBC03 confirmed that BC will host Buffalo October 1, 2016. The good news is that this means that BC will have six home games despite the trip to Ireland. The bad news? The home games will be UMass, Buffalo, three ACC games and barring a miracle another FCS team.

Bates deserves credit for working with Buffalo, Northern Illinois and the MAC on making this work. Plenty of altered schedules and penalties were in play, so this did take a good amount of dealing and scheduling to pull it off. 

It will be interesting to see how the coach and AD spin the game. It confirms they are keeping the schedule manageable and winnable. The people who pay attention are going to be upset, but I feel like casual fans, recruits and the media won't. I think padding BC's win total is their goal and that will help change perception of the program. I think it will work too. However, if we do build the program with soft scheduling, eventually the media will start calling BC out.

Report: BC vs GT Ireland game back on

The on again, off again nature of BC's return to Ireland is on again. Or at least it is according to Irish media. Official announcement is expected Thursday. The game would be the opening weekend of college football in 2016 and played in Aviva Stadium. There are a few hedges in the report and I don't know how it could be this quiet on this side of the Atlantic. Presumably Brad Bates and Georgia Tech AD Mike Bobinski would be in Ireland for the press conference. There would have been some whispers somewhere about their travels.

Getting to this game has been messy, so we shouldn't be that surprised. If it is another false alarm, time might be running out on the trip. 2016 is not that far off from a logistical standpoint. Both BC and Georgia Tech would have to do some unique planning with regards to practices, travel and logistics. If this game is going to happen, we will know soon.

Maine again? and other links

BCI picked up on a tweet out of Maine reporting that BC will face the Black Bears again in 2015. My preference is to rotate the FCS patsies, but it really doesn't matter. Next year's non-conference schedule is very soft, but that will help our young team.

Sad and strange news as former BC Basketball reserve Nate Fox was killed two days before Christmas. Police are investigating. After starting his career under Jim O'Brien, Fox later transferred to Maine.

Do you remember Akeel Lynch? He was a Canadian running back playing in New York who committed to BC in the recruiting process only to flip to Penn State. He's now the key to their offense.

The last big event of the bowl week was ringing the Opening Bell at the NYSE.

Eagles to Éire?

For the past 25 years, I've heard about BC Football's return to Ireland. With teams from Penn State to Alabama and of course Notre Dame, it was the scheduling white whale. Now it looks like it is finally happening as multiple reports leaked out that BC will host Georgia Tech in Croke Park in 2016. In response to the reporting, BC called the news premature. Even though the trip hasn't happened for good reasons, I think 2016 is as good a time as any to play the game.

BC has plenty of ties to Ireland. We may not have "Irish" in our name, but have significant part of our history tied to educating Irish Americans and preserving Irish history and culture. It is something for which we should be proud. Playing a football game in Ireland isn't going to change that. It is not going to make us more Irish or grow our market either here or there. If playing games in Ireland was going to be a real moneymaker or change the perception of American Football or American universities in Ireland or Europe, it would be done more often. As constructed now, these games are just a nice gimmick to help BC differentiate itself in the crowded college football world. We will send a nice crowd, but it won't be huge. The costs will still be too prohibitive for the majority of our fans. Maybe ESPN might kick in a few extra dollars or waive one of our Friday requirements as a result of having an early morning game, but not enough to make a huge difference.

Some fans are griping about giving up a home game. I am not as concerned especially if it is the season kickoff around Labor Day Weekend. That schedule slot always causes attendance issues at Alumni, so moving it to a special event over seas once is not a terrible idea. 

Ireland may appeal to our older demographic, but it won't move the needle with recruits. The players on the 2016 team will likely enjoy the unique, free trip to Ireland. 

Though unlikely to make the trip myself (I'm realistic about the demands of blogging vs parenting at this point), this would be a good thing for BC and a fun trip for the fans who make the journey. I am sure the report will get confirmed early in 2015, so that BC can start planning and selling tickets. And if the report it false, fans can just go back to speculating on our next return to Ireland. 

More schedule stuff, more hoops recruiting, more links

Tuesday's news felt a lot like Monday's...

Football agreed to a two-game series with Northern Illinois. BC will host next year and the return date is still to be determined, but likely in 2017. Playing a MAC school is always tricky because winning gets you nothing but the risk of losing is real. I don't mind the NIU matchup. We should beat them both years. We needed a game for next year and if we ever play the return date, the Chicagoland area is not a bad place to visit for recruiting and Alumni purposes. The reason I say "if" on the return is that future schedules mean less and less. Look at what happened with our Army games or Ohio State games. Every conference mandate has a ripple effect. I don't know if we will even need Northern Illinois in two years. All we can count on is the 2015 game.

Jim Christian added a second player to his 2015 recruiting class. North Carolina point guard Jerome Robinson committed Tuesday. Robinson is not an elite prospect, but he is a late bloomer and shows good promise. With two guys on board, there is probably room for two more true freshmen and then a few transfers.

BC will honor Welles Crowther this weekend. I don't know if it will inspire the team or overcome USC (like the writer hopes) but it is the right thing to do.

Bates signs future deal with Ohio State

A week and a half ago I wrote BC should schedule Ohio State. On Wednesday BC's new AD Brad Bates announced that he signed a deal with Ohio State. As much as I would like to say I knew something was in the works or that I had sent out vibes like some "The Secret" devotee, it is really just coincidence that it worked out. In fact, the driver of my earlier post was BC's hole in the 2013 schedule (which Bates still needs to address). But this is exciting and positive news for BC Football. Although the the home and home series won't begin until 2020, there are multiple benefits to signing and announcing the deal now.

Considering he's only been on the job two weeks, this is a pretty bold statement from our new AD. The game is a long way off, but the deal still sends a message that Bates wants BC to be relevant on a national scene and understands that our fanbase needs some excitement. It also shows that he's planning around future years where we won't play Notre Dame annually. Because of the ACC-Notre Dame rotation, BC will only face the Irish six out of ten years. It makes sense to use the non-Notre Dame years as a chance to schedule other traditional powers.

But there is a huge benefit to the program by signing this distant deal. It allows BC coaches for the next seven years to sell BC-Ohio State to Ohio kids. Even for the recruits who will graduate before we even step into the Horse Shoe, this will be a selling point. A new coach can say our AD is committed to big plans and big ideas and point to this game.

Odds say that our next BC Head Coach, won't be the Head Coach in 2020. But I hope he leaves BC in a place that we are ready for the Buckeyes. I also hope that this is just a small sign of Bates big thinking.

Go Crazy! Why BC should schedule Ohio State in 2013

The ACC's decision to revert back from nine to eight conference games has BC scrambling to find an opponent for 2013. The good news is that plenty of other respectable programs are looking too. BYU needs a game. We could play Northwestern again. ESPN could also find us an opponent too if we are willing to play on a random night. The conventional wisdom is that Brad Bates will wait until after he's hired a new coach to find a 12th opponent. That makes sense. You would want your new guy to have some influence on the process. But there is one potential opponent lingering out there who I think BC should schedule now: Ohio State. This might seem crazy. We will have a new coach, we already scheduled USC and we will probably be coming off our worst season in more than two decades. But where others see a chance for failure, I see opportunity.

No one would expect us to win
New coach. A losing team. On the road against Ohio State early in the year. The spread would probably be 30 points. And that's fine. If we get killed no one cares. If we hang with them for a bit, the new coach gets some respect from the fans and college football establishment. If we shock the world and win, it is huge, program-building momentum swing.

Ohio will still be a recruiting focal point
Regardless of who we hire, he's going to have to recruit in Ohio. Our ties to certain pockets of the state, the strength of various Catholic schools and the alternative that BC provides to lower-level Big Ten recruits means we have to maintain a presence there. Traditionally we've done so by playing MAC teams. Playing at Ohio Stadium once would be an even stronger planting of the flag. Plus it would be a nice trip for all the Ohio kids on our roster.

The payoff
If Ohio State agrees to the game, they will have two options. Either this is a one-time game at Ohio Stadium and they pay us a huge amount (north of $1 million) or they agree to a home and home (with the return game coming in the next few years). If they only want the one game, that's fine. Consider it a boost to the budget to pay for Spaz's buyout. If they agree to a home and home, that is a great tool for our new coach. He can go into recruits' homes and sell that future game. This is what I would say to our recruits and fans: "we had a rough game against Ohio State, but wait until they come to play us in 2015. They will see a whole new Boston College!"

Changing the perception of BC's schedule
BC has been notorious for our careful scheduling. Gene built schedules every year that he felt were balanced and lent to wining seasons. This didn't create a lot of excitement or credibility. But we did win. I was at BC when were were still living with Coughlin's "we'll play anyone" attitude. In 1995 we played a full Big East slate, plus Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Army. It was the toughest schedule in the country. BC went 4-8. Down the road we will need to adopt Gene's scheduling philosophy again, but for next year we can do whatever we want. If we go 4-8 again but the season includes Ohio State and USC it will be considered a good first season for our new coach. And then he and Brad Bates can use this one game any time someone challenges the strength or excitement of our schedule. I can just hear it now: "during the last five years we've played Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Northwestern, etc out of conference."

You only want a coach who wants to play Ohio State
I am sure Brad Bates wants to respect the opinion of our new head coach. But if our new leader doesn't have the hunger and confidence to rebuild BC and take on programs like Ohio State, then he is not the right guy for BC right now. I am all for smart scheduling but every once in a while you need to take a chance. This is BC's chance. Go sign this contract and dot that "I."

Time to add Holy Cross to the football schedule (seriously)

Earlier this week the Patriot League announced that they would start providing football scholarships in 2013. This is good news for BC as now we can renew our football rivalry with Holy Cross. It may not excite most younger BC fans, but adding the Crusaders back to the schedule makes a lot of sense.

All FBS teams will play a FCS game annually. As much as we hate it, the game are not going away. In fact, I think the nine game conference slates will have some teams searching for wins by scheduling two FCS games annually. In the past BC scheduled their FCS opponents and justified it as a game good for New England. But with Northeastern dropping football, URI downgrading and UMass upgrading, BC is left with only Maine and UNH as potential New England opponents. (Games against non-scholarship Harvard and Holy Cross could not count towards BC's bowl eligible wins.) Now that Holy Cross has scholarships, those games can count.

Although it would still be a cupcake game on the schedule we can frame it as tradition. The two schools have played 82 times and for years it was a huge game in Massachusetts. Playing again would still excite some of our older alums. I also think it would energize Holy Cross to the point where they would probably be willing to play us every year. I also don't think Holy Cross would demand an exorbitant pay day. It's a bus trip and they could sell their ticket allotments. When BC brings in the Weber States of the college football world, we pay a premium. Holy Cross wants to be associated with BC. Playing us annually helps their branding. Plus it is win-win. If we crush them, there is no embarrassment. If they give us a game or win, they have huge bragging rights.

The ACC expansion allows for only three non-conference opponents. BC fans want us to play Alabama, Michigan and USC every year. The reality though is BC needs to play schedules comparable to our peers. Yet at the same time generate interest. Getting Holy Cross back on the schedule is the just one step towards that.

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?

Will probation impact USC in 2013, 2014?

I've been focusing on the conference realignments, so I haven't mentioned the NCAA's sanctions against Southern Cal. The Trojans were hit with a two-year bowl ban and a 30 scholarship reduction (spread over three years). Although USC leadership was whining about the bowl bans, the scholarship issues will be more impactful. But how impactful is the question. Will it even matter by the time we play USC in 2013 and 2014? Let's look at the two most similar cases and how long it took the powers to recover.

Alabama
Hit with scholarship reduction beginning in 2002
2002 record: 10-3
2003 record: 4-9
2004 record: 6-6
2005 record: 10-2

Miami
Hit with scholarship reduction beginning in 1996

1996 record: 9-3
1997 record: 5-6
1998 record: 9-3
1999 record: 9-4

As you can see, the second year has been when the programs bottom out. By that time most of your experienced talent has graduated and your less talented and smaller recruiting classes are more important to the program.

Using the same patter for USC, you would have to expect the 2010 season to be solid with the worst of it coming in 2011. By the time we play them in 2013 they should be back on the upswing. But I do have one caveat in all of this -- I don't think much of Lane Kiffin as a coach. I don't see him as the type that will 1) see this out and stay at USC, 2) have the plan in place to return them to the Carroll glory days.

Regardless of how good they are or who the coach is, I still plan on making the trip out to see BC in the Coliseum. Let's hope the Trojans troubles make for easy wins for BC.

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.