Merry Christmas

Hotel issues in San Fran and other links

Host cities usual dread BC because of our travel reputation. This year our small (but spirited) crew might be just what San Francisco needs. The new date of the bowl game is bumping up against a huge series of biomed conferences in the city and hotels rooms are scarce. For those who don't know the area, if you can't find a hotel in the city, just work your way south down the peninsula. There are plenty of nice hotels and the drive to the park is pretty easy from the south bay.

The second portion of this video shows how the BC hockey teams made a difference with a local special needs hockey team.

BC commit Kyle Caudill more than held his own against one of California's top teams.

Missing Mele Kalikimaka

[The following is a little history lesson for those younger BC fans.]

In the old days, when bowls still meant something, the college football postseason kicked off on Christmas Day with Aloha Bowl. BC played in the game twice and it was the prefect for us.

Why was the game perfect? Because it provided everything we needed and didn't ask much of BC in return.

We can whine about Boise or Detroit, but at the end of the day none of us actually have to go to these games. The player and coaches do. A trip to Hawaii was rare and a true treat. The guys got a unique experience and warm weather.

The game actually provided a showcase for BC. This was the first bowl game of the year and it was on ABC on Christmas Day. There was nothing else on. Millions of desperate sports fans tuned in just to get their football fix. And for BC fans it was great. The games were afternoons kickoffs, so you could open your presents, have a little family bonding and then watch BC. There was no juggling of schedules or figuring out where you were going to be for some random, midday weekday kickoff.

Plus we played real teams. In 1994, Kansas State was ranked and favored before our defense tore them apart. Like us, Arizona State squeaked into the 2000 Aloha Bowl, but at least they were a name from a power conference.

Playing in Hawaii also meant BC wasn't expected to travel. Few schools did. We just needed to provide a solid TV rating (which we always do).

Finally Hawaii just looked great and fun on TV. The scenic shots in and out of commercials made you feel warm. I wanted to hop on a plane after seeing Dan Henning in a Hawaiian shirt or watching TOB try to hula.

We played in the last Aloha Bowl. The official NCAA certification ended and was later replaced by the Hawaii Bowl. But the Hawaii Bowl is not different though. It is basically an extra home game for the University of Hawaii and is rarely on Christmas Day. Maybe one day BC will find themselves in this newer bastardized version of the Aloha game again, but it won't be the same. None of it is the same...I guess for Christmas I should ask Santa for an NCAA playoff with a championship game in Honolulu.

Getting by Bucknell

When the team lost to Yale earlier this year, many wondered if we would struggle against teams with less talent but more mental toughness. Tonight's win over Bucknell was a sign that this team can respond to less-talented teams' "A" games. It was a frustrating game in the sense that the guys didn't play well but also didn't play poorly.

Likes
-- Another well rounded effort from Josh Southern. Very positive minutes from our big man with few mistakes. Is he becoming our second best player?
-- Paris remains hot from outside. Four big 3s, plus he also had seven assists.
-- Making our free throws. Especially important in the final minutes.

Dislikes
-- No ability to shut down Bryson Johnson. This guy was hot and nailing threes. Yet we never did anything to shut him down? No fronting. No doubles. Allowing him to get good looks from 3 felt Skinner-esque.
-- Raji's shooting. I know he hit some big outside shots, but I don't know if he should be chucking 3s. Maybe he should be closer to the basket to get some points off of putbacks.

Alex Murphy update and other links

The other day on Twitter I got a few people excited when I speculated that Erik Murphy's limited playing time might lead him to transfer to BC. While that was speculation, his younger brother Alex Murphy remains a real possibility for BC. Outside of BC, most of the other schools still on Alex's list are traditional basketball powers. But if the brothers want to play together, BC might be their best chance. And our new style certainly plays to their strengths. But let me restate this Murphy Brother talk is all still speculation.

On the football front, BC picked up another commitment. This time from upstate New York Safety Josh Keyes.

BC told NJ WR Mike DeTroia that he might get a scholarship offer late in the process.

Don't read too much into the Spaz extension

The big news of the day is that BC extended Spaz's contract until 2015. Of course everyone overreacted along the usual party lines. Either this was the greatest thing ever or the worst. The reality is that it was a meaningless public relations move. Sure it makes firing Spaz a little more expensive, but this won't be an obstacle to anything. All is does is placate recruits. If you think it means anything beyond the publicity, take a look at two recent examples.

Clemson
December 4, 2007: Clemson signs Tommy Bowden to a contract extension.

October 13, 2008: Tommy Bowden forced to resign.

Miami

May 12, 2010: Miami signs Randy Shannon to a new, four-year contract.

November 27, 2010: Miami dismisses Randy Shannon.

The Future
I don't think Spaz will be fired within the next year like Bowden or Shannon. But I am 100% certain he will not be coaching BC in 2015 (the final year of this extension).

There are a couple of things you must remember in all of this.
1. We have a very competitive and often meddling Athletic Director. If you were unhappy with the losing streak, imagine how Gene felt. He will be loyal publicly and will temper expectations publicly, but that doesn't mean that he found this season's low acceptable.
2. Any buyout or payment to Spaz built into this contract would never keep BC from doing something. In fact, you could rationalize any buyout with an uptick in ticket sales. Just do some back of the envelope math. Let's say we struggle with attendance again and on the season fall short of a sellout by 5,000 tickets sold each week. Go conservative and factor in just a six game schedule. Then go conservative again and factor in a $20 in revenue per ticket unsold. Now using just those potential lost crowds and rounded numbers have unexciting, mediocre football costing BC $600,000+ in revenue per year.

As I said on twitter, I took this announcement as being a sign that Gene and Spaz are probably on the same page for now. I expect a staff small staff tweak this offseason.

Ultimately I think Spaz's future -- regardless of his contract -- will remain year to year. With his age and his boss you can't expect anything else

BC beats Bryant and other links

As expected BC handled Bryant. Not much to take away. If you want to nitpick you could criticize the early defense that allowed Bryant to keep it close early. Most of the guys shot well. Biko Paris and Josh Southern kept up their high level of play. Reggie was Reggie. Our next two games will be better tests for the ACC season.

Here is a Q&A with Jared Dudley. He mentions coaching at BC, but refers to the job as a stepping stone. Et tu, Jared?

Now that Pitt has a new coach, BC is trying to talk one of their commits Terrell Chestnut into coming to Boston.

Ohio lineman Joe Thuney is still waiting on a BC offer.

Future BC QB Christian Suntrup is playing basketball for his high school. That sort of athleticism is usually a good sign of a recruits athleticism.

Paris is Burning (from 3)

The BCI guys noted our increase in 3s attempted and made. The jump in production shouldn't have been much of a surprise given Donahue's history and stated goals. What is a surprise to me, is the Biko Paris's improved efficiency from 3.

Paris has never been a threat from beyond the arc. Although he converted 37% of his 3 attempts as a sophomore, his career average prior to this year was 30%. The most 3s he had ever made in a season was 14. He's already made 19 this season!

Donahue's system deserves some credit for the improvement. Plus the general maturity is a factor. I guess the biggest explanation for the improvement is Biko's work on 3s during the offseason. Supposedly it was a focus and he shot hundreds a day. Unfortunately too many guys ignore their deficiencies in the offseason. I am glad to see Biko did not. If he keeps up this pace during ACC play, BC will have done something rare: replaced a serviceable player with a killer offensive weapon without making a roster change.

Respect for Donahue and other links

No one really panned the Steve Donahue hiring in non-BC circles. Most expected him to be fine. Few thought the change would pay such early dividends. The guys at the ACC Sports Journal have noticed and are on the Donahue bandwagon.

The Boston Gridiron Club added to Harris, Keuchly and Castanzo's list of accolades.

HD thinks Rettig needs to step up in the Bowl game. I'm interested in his progression too. With a month to prepare, a game in his home state and facing a porous defense, this could be a chance to Rettig to shine. HD is also expecting Rettig's experience to pay off in 2011.

Another St. X verbal and other links

There are many things we do owe TOB thanks for like stability, finding good staffers, beating Notre Dame, but the gift that kids on giving is the pipeline to St. Xavier in Cincinnati. The latest Bomber to commit to the Eagles is Steven Daniels. Daniels is expected to play linebacker at BC like his current teammate Sean Duggan and former teammate Luke Keuchly.

As Daniels committed, rumors popped up that another BC verbal Christian Suntrup was waivering. Rivals reached out and Christian says he is still on board and loves BC.

Josh Haden and his younger brother will restart their college careers at Toledo.

Another All American and other links

After being named to a variety of All America teams, Luke Kuechly finally got confirmation that he made the AP's All America team. The AP's team serves as the official list for college football. Congrats to Luke. It was certainly well deserved. One side note: did people realize that BC has only had 10 first teamers on the list in our history? And no honorees between Mike Cloud and Jamie Silva. Considering our success, that is a surprising stat.

The ACC named Reggie Jackson its player of the week.

Articles keep saying that BC has already sold 5,000 ticket for the Bowl game. That's encouraging. My fear though is that the article misinterpreted BC's commitment vs actual ticket sales.

Bubble alert and it is only December. Lunardi has us in the big dance.

Rivals named KPL to their freshman team. They honored Nate Freese too.

The TOB tree is taking over the ACC

Since I've been tracking this for a while, it is time again to look back on Tom O'Brien's first staff. Now in the 12-team ACC 25% of the conference is coached by TOB's proteges. Now this sort of six degrees game can be played on many coaching staffs, but TOB deserves credit for finding these guys in 1997 and happenstance deserves a little credit for all of them ending up in one conference 13 years later.

Then (1997)
Tom O'Brien. Relatively unknown coordinator from Virginia set to begin his first head coaching job at Boston College.
Frank Spaziani. TOB's old colleague from Navy and Virginia. Had been in the witness protection program (his own joke) coaching defense in the CFL. TOB brought him back to the States to be his first running backs coach at BC.
Al Golden. BC was Golden's first official college football job. Amazingly TOB named him recruiting coordinator too. (Can you imagine a BCS program naming a totally untested kid recruiting coordinator now?). But Golden had impressed TOB enough while a GA at Virginia to give him such a crucial role at BC.
Mike London. London had a little more experience than Golden, but it wasn't screaming "Big Time" job. He had been a position coach at William & Mary and Richmond before TOB gave him his first DIA job working as BC's defensive line coach.

Now (2010)
Tom O'Brien. After becoming BC's all-time winningest coach, TOB left to be the head coach at NC State.
Frank Spaziani. Spaz moved from RB to the defensive side of the ball in TOB's third year. From there he shaped years of successful BC defenses before becoming the head man himself in 2009.
Al Golden. The ever ambitious Golden left BC to head recruiting at Penn State. Then it was onto UVA before becoming a head coach at Temple and now Miami.
Mike London. Like Goldon, London was certainly ambitious and made stops along the way at Virginia and the NFL. He won a national championship at Richmond and is now at Virginia.

I should also note that in 1997 TOB also gave Michigan State Offensive Coordinator Don Treadwell and former BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski their first BCS level jobs.

I don't know what it says about the ACC or TOB that all these guys got their first big break at the same time. It is also interesting to note that after building his first BC staff with young, aggressive coaches, TOB has stuck with a more mature and loyal staff since.

In defense of a good offense

Many BC fans hated Skinner's flex. I loved it. When Donahue arrived people welcomed the move to Motion but still had concerns that his reliance on the 3 would be exposed in the ACC. It still might be exposed but as yesterday's win over Maryland showed when that when you have a relentless, efficient and slightly unconventional offense, you can beat anyone on your schedule. We got up early with the 3. We bought minutes with our bench with the 3. We muted Maryland runs with the 3. And in the end we closed the game out with a big 3. It was fun to watch and I think will start to get fans excited. But outside of excitement, I love the pressure it put on Maryland. There is nothing more frustrating in sports to a player then when you think you are better than your opponent but they keep hanging around.

We made 13 3-point baskets yesterday. Maryland followed those thirteen makes with six pointless possessions. They made one foul shot. Four two point baskets and only answered a 3 with their own three twice.

It wasn't all perfect though. The press gave us a bit of trouble. After a hot start Rubin cooled off a bit and didn't do much defensively. We struggled with their bigs. And Josh Southern -- who has looked so good passing out of the post -- forced some bad shots.

The statistical gurus are loving it all though. Check out Kenpom's tweets during the game.

Now our style is not perfect or particularly balanced (see Yale) but our tough early schedule has proven that we can and will hang with anyone. It also showed that we are going to be fun to watch.

Another honor for Kuechly and other links

The Football Writers Association of America named Luke Kuechly to their All America team. It is Luke's second nation team honor and a good indicator that he will make the AP's team.

I don't know if it is good ol' BC luck or if he is just off to a good start, but Danny Rubin's play has been much better than expected. What's crazy is that Donahue was slow playing him at Cornell and Rubin was ready to walk on at Colgate. Now he is burying jumpers for an ACC team.

BJ Raji made huge strides this season.

Nevada sells their tickets and other links

Our Bowl game is technically a neutral site affair, but it will feel like a Nevada home game. The Wolf Pack fans sold out their original allotment of 11,000 seats and have sold an additional 4,000 tickets. I don't have an official count from BC but I can assure you we are well behind that pace. This is as expected though since Reno to San Francisco is an easy drive and this is Nevada's first drivable bowl game. Plus they are coming off the Boise win. I don't think the atmosphere will make a big difference. The silver lining though is we can continue to tell Bowls that although we don't sell a lot of tickets directly, we generate interest locally and among opposing fans.

Here is a story from a few days ago on John Cahill one of our walkons receiving serious playing time.

Although he didn't win many individual national awards, Luke Kuechly was named to the Walter Camp team.

This Maryland blog has a good early take on our basketball team. I can't wait for the game against the Terps on Sunday. We've shown we can beat some quality teams, but this game will show if we can be competitive within the upper half of the ACC.

New offensive coordinators: real and imagined

When you are 108th in total offense nationally and last in scoring within your conference, making a change at Offensive Coordinator seems like a smart move. When your offensive coordinator turns 71 in the spring, having a new name in mind makes sense. Yet Rivals.com Mike Farrell is predicting that Gary Tranquill will return to BC as offensive coordinator in 2011. Let me say that this is the opposite of everything I have heard. I was always told that Tranq was taking it year to year and unlikely to return. Even in the past few weeks I have heard that Tranq would be retiring again. The only gossip I've heard that might support what Farrell is saying is that Spaz would like Tranq to come back. But everyone else, including Tranq himself, is thinking retirement. Regardless, I will stick to my prediction that Tranq will retire.

But the pending change leads us into one of the great parlor games of the BC offseason: picking our new offensive coordinator. I always assumed it would be current WR coach Ryan Day. Many said Spaz preferred current TE coach Dave Brock. Now there is speculation that internal promotions would be fallback options and Spaz would rather bring in an outsider. So here are some real candidates and some speculative and satirical ones.

Real
Ryan Day
Pros: Considered bright young coach with head coach potential. Worked with some of the most influential offensive minds in football.
Cons: Never called a game before. No one knows how or what he would tweak from our current system.


Dave Brock
Pros: Has called plays at this level. Key recruiter for our current and future QBs. Would run an offense most similar to Tranq's.
Cons: Would run an offense most similar to Tranq's. Brock sat next to Tranq in the box while this offense sputtered along. That does not disqualify him, but it makes you wonder if he would have done anything differently.

Sean Devine
Pros: Has called a game before. Knows how to run a wide open, high tempo offense.
Cons: Never called plays at this level. Just because he followed Chip Kelly and has Chip Kelly's playbook doesn't mean he can make BC into Oregon. Mixed results coaching our OLine.

Ben Sirmans
Pros: While he doesn't have the BC roots as deep as Ryan Day, like Day, Sirmans is a well regarded coach who has been around many good offensive systems.
Cons: Never called plays. Never designed an offense.

Frank Cignetti, Jr.
Pros: Suddenly looking for a job after Pitt cleaned house. Followed Tranq at UNC so he knows how to follow him and transition to his system. Has a prostyle and balanced attack that would fit with our current roster. Would be the outside name that many desire.
Cons: No connection to Spaz. Pitt's offense has been criticized for many of the same issues we have (redzone, boring style, etc).

Matt Canada
Pros: Probably out of a job at Indiana. Runs a pass happy sort of prostyle offense. Led the Big Ten in passing.
Cons: No connection to BC. No connection to New England. No connection to Spaz. The reason I mention him is that he is the type of guy who might be available and he has called plays before and could probably elevate the play of our current QBs.

Noel Mazzone
Pros: Current Arizona State OC. Has called plays at a BCS level. May be looking for work depending how the dominoes in the coaching carousel fall. Worked with Gene's son while at the Jets. Runs a pro style that would fit our roster.
Cons: No obvious connection to Spaz. No connection to New England. Might not want to job hop.

Imagined
Mark Whipple
Pros: Proven play caller. Knows the region well. Knows the ACC. Runs a style of play that would fit for BC.
Cons: Miami had inconsistency issues too. [This was floated to me as a real possibility but I can't ever see it happening. I don't think Whipple would come back and work for Gene. I don't know if Whipple would work at a place where he could have been Head Coach. I also don't know if Spaz would welcome someone who, if he succeeds, could be a threat to take Spaz's job.]

Paul Peterson
Pros: Passing Game coordinator for a FCS school. Alum.
Cons: No BCS experience. No FBS experience. [A blogger can dream, can't he? If you are going to go with an young unproven guy, you go with Day.]

John DeFilippo
Pros: NFL and college experience. Could run a prostyle offense. Knows BC. Worked with some of the current staffers.
Cons: No play calling experience. [Jags considered hiring John D when he first came aboard but everyone thought it wasn't the right time or situation. Now? What the hell? Everyone thinks Gene is calling the shots. Let's just take it to the next level!]

Galen Hall
Pros: Play calling experience. Seasoned veteran. Can run different types of offenses. Turns 71 in August as opposed to April baby Tranq.
Cons: Wouldn't lower the average age of current staff. [If Spaz's wants an outsider with experience to match Tranq, Hall is his only answer...who is still alive.]

As I said, I expect Tranq to retire and Brock or Day to get the job. I hope that if Spaz does look outside the current staff he makes a hire who won't try to change everything. We have the pieces in place to take big leaps forward offensively. I would hate to start from scratch again.

Some new and some deja vu in Providence win

I've listened to plenty of BC basketball games over the years that felt endlessly frustrating as we squandered late leads and barely hung on at the end. Everyone attributed it to Skinner's game management. Maybe we, as BC fans, are just cursed. BC sports will cause tension, high blood pressure and anxiety. But it is worth it when we win...like tonight.

Likes
--BC's tempo. A lot has been made about Donahue's style. We've seen moments of it, but tonight was probably the best example. We put up a good amount of shots and forced Providence to play our style much of the game, which we led the whole way.
-- Another impressive night from Jackson. He did it all (other than make his free throws). If he keeps it up in ACC play, he is going to get a lot of national attention.
-- No problems with a short bench. We've been playing walkons, but tonight saw our starters log big minutes. Some of them are thriving with more time (like Southern and Paris).

Dislikes
-- The final minutes. Turnovers and missed foul shots. I can only imagine how Ted Sarandis would have acted as it almost slipped away.
-- Trapani's shooting. Since I was listening not watching I don't know what the problem was, but we need more efficiency from Joe. If his shot is not falling, he needs to get his points off of rebounds and put backs.
-- Courtney Dunn's suspension. It wasn't a factor tonight, but we need his size and legs. It is stupid and selfish to get suspended.

I am very pleased with where this team is and where it is going. I think Maryland will be a real test, but if our shots are dropping there is no reason to think we cannot beat the Terps.

Dislikes

Blogpoll ballot

I missed posting a Blogpoll ballot last week. Things just got away from me, but it did provide a nice chance at a fresh start. So for this ballot I wasn't married to any previous votes.

Games I watched
Auburn-USC 50%
Florida State-Virginia Tech 50%
Arizona-Arizona State 25%
Cincinnati-Pitt 25%
Nebraska-Oklahoma 25%

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 15

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	--
2	Auburn Tigers	--
3	Wisconsin Badgers	--
4	Stanford Cardinal	--
5	TCU Horned Frogs	--
6	Michigan St. Spartans	--
7	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
8	Boise St. Broncos	--
9	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
10	Oklahoma Sooners	--
11	LSU Tigers	--
12	Missouri Tigers	--
13	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
14	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
15	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
16	Arkansas Razorbacks	--
17	Nevada Wolf Pack	--
18	Texas A&M Aggies	--
19	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	--
20	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
21	Central Florida Knights	--
22	Utah Utes	--
23	Miami (Ohio) RedHawks	--
24	Northern Illinois Huskies	--
25	Florida St. Seminoles	--

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Respect for BC and other links

I don't know if it is the Nevada factor or begrudging respect, but instead of mocking our bowl situation the pundits are respecting the matchup. Some view it as a Keuchly vs Kaepernick battle.

HD -- who is usually takes the coaching at BC takes miracles narrative -- rightly points out that much of our late season comeback was built off of a forgiving schedule. She also notes Kuechly's dominance and amazing amass of tackles.

The cool gift at the Fight Hunger Bowl is probably the headphones.

This is from the weekend, but Bob Ryan is on the Steve Donahue bandwagon.

BC is prospecting for the class of 2012 already. Another prospect is Domenic Martinelli.

Edsall, UConn and what could have been

After the smoke cleared from the bowl scheduling I saw a few tweets and message board posts regarding Randy Edsall and UConn. There is a small contingent of media and opposing fans that like to remind BC that if we had stayed in the Big East we would have played in a BCS game by now. They also like to hint that we should have hired Randy Edsall. As a blogger and a critic I love to use and abuse hindsight, but in this case it doesn't matter. We've made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I have absolutely zero regrets about Edsall or the Big East.

Edsall the Bridesmaid
Randy Edsall was almost the BC head coach four different times. There are varied urban legends surrounding the BC-Edsall courtship. He was deemed to green to take over for Coughlin in 1994. The only admitted time he was offered the job was in 1996-97. Small problem though. Chet Gladchuk was a powerless lame duck so other people were offering the job to Kevin Gilbride and Tom O'Brien. Edsall was left with an empty promise yet no long-term bitterness towards BC. In fact he kept hoping for another chance at the Heights. Like a lot of people who have come through BC, Edsall appreciated what BC offered and saw what Coughlin did firsthand. Later, he was given a cursory look when TOB left. His folks had a more serious discussion when Jags was fired, but still Edsall was left hanging. Those failed flirtations were probably more about what Gene was looking for and less about what Randy brought to the table. Personally I think Edsall would have been fine at BC, but I've never seen anything that made me long for his leadership. I think his team's are decent, but boring. I don't particularly care for his sideline antics at times. It always looks like he is doing a bad Coughlin impression. Yet he lacks Coughlin's smarts and charm and the success that allows TC to get away with some of his ranting and raving. If Edsall had ever coached at BC I am sure he would have been fine, but I don't know if he ever would have helped us break our current ceiling.

The Big East's backdoor to the BCS
The irony of the current BCS format is that it is easier to get in from the Big East or a non-automatic qualifier school than it is to get in from the other power conferences. Add in the extra game that an SEC, Big XII or ACC team must win, and you are left with a real test, not some mini-hurdle like the Big East. But we didn't join the ACC to just to get into the BCS. The move was about money, stability, a future, partnering with like-minded schools and prestige. Staying in what became the Big East would have been a marketing, recruiting and ticket selling disaster. I still don't think the current configuration of the Big East will last. I know any current BCS team -- including UConn -- would glady trade their one trip to the BCS in exchange for a spot in the ACC. Besides, we had our chance at the Big East's joke bid and blew it.

I don't know when we will finally get into the BCS, but when we do, it won't be with an asterisk or by default. We will have earned it and the program will be better for it.

Why this trip to San Francisco is different

I know some of those around the program are disappointed in another trip to San Francisco but of all the potential options this might have the most upside.

At the end of the day bowls are a showcase for the team. This is a chance to close our season against a highly ranked team. It is a chance to end the season in the last game before the National Championship. It is prime time on a Sunday following NFL playoff football. Sports and football fans will watch. Last year's Boston College-USC game is the third-most-watched college bowl game in ESPN history. This should surpass that. We have a strong contingent of BC fans in Northern California. The late date should give them plenty of time to sell tickets and organize.

Nevada also offers a good test. They are explosive yet a running team. Their defense is solid, but hasn't faced a team or scheme like ours all season. It is a short trip for them, but they haven't played on this field before.

I hate having a month off but I like the idea of BC playing on a weekend night during a regular week. Those "bowl week" games get lost in the shuffle and are mostly forgettable. This won't be.

I will have more on the game, the set up and Nevada in the weeks ahead. I would love to be prepping for a Orange Bowl, but when we were 2-5 this day seemed impossible. All things considered, playing in San Francisco is a nice problem to have.

Run this town tonight

I will have more on the basketball team Sunday, but for now I just give them congratulations. They controlled the pace and scoring and overcame some sloppy play. Plus it was our first win in the new Garden.

The hockey team swept BU this weekend. Ho hum. Sucks to B-U.

Hockey smashes BU and other links

We scored nine goals against BU. Yes, we scored "niiiine...times." I can't say if this will begin a nice little run for our guys, but it was fun to follow for a night.

Kristen Mewis and Victoria DiMartino were named to the 2010 NSCAA/Performance Subaru Women's NCAA D1 All-America Team. Unfortunately for the girls their season ended with a loss to Stanford Friday night.

Jack Tabb still claims that BC is still a possibility for him.

Women's hoop record night and other links

In their end of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the BC women took on Penn State. And like the men, they had an impressive victory, defeating PSU 113-104. It was the most points the BC women have ever scored.

Here is the latest on Albert Louis-Jean and his new suitors. I would like to see him at BC, but I expect whenever Miami makes a hire, that new coach will go hard after him. I also expect some other schools to emerge.

For those of you who missed the Herzy piece on Gameday, it is included in this link on ESPNBoston.com.

Likes and Dislikes: the Indiana win

I am a big Al Skinner fan but I agree with what Sean McDonough said at the end of the game (paraphrasing): "Steve Donahue is going to shake up Conte and sell more seats due to his style of play." Here are some of my thoughts on the game.

Likes
-- Reggie Jackson's big game. I know Donahue liked Sunday's balanced, team effort against Cal, but you can't overlook a game like this from Reggie. Here he is on national TV against a Big Ten team putting on a near flawless performance.
-- Good ball handling. I didn't expect this when Donahue arrived. Not that Donahue teams are careless, I just thought we wouldn't have the ball handlers on the roster to be so careful. I also thought the transition to a more perimeter based passing system would invite steals.
-- Josh Southern's post passing. This was a factor later in the game but I was impressed with Josh's ability to find open men and cutters. If he can do that every game our offense will become very efficient.

Dislikes
-- Trapani's off night. I know people had big expectations for Joe this season, but he seemed a bit off. I don't know the best way for him to get points, since he's not the spot shooter that say Rubin is. Maybe we should get him cutting to the basket more.
-- Dunn and Elmore's rebounding. Neither logged big minutes, but neither were much of a factor. We are lucky that Indiana is not a great rebounding team. Against better team's these guys will have to step up.

I think we are all excited, but keep Yale in the back of your mind. This team is playing well, but we will have some cold shooting nights ahead. This will be an unpredictable season...let's enjoy the ride.

Who are the Hoosiers?

Indiana basketball hasn't been Indiana basketball of late. Coaching changes and NCAA violations left Tom Crean in a major rebuilding mode with one of college basketballs most storied programs. Of course now that Crean has added depth and has the team playing well, we pull them in the ACC-Big Ten rotation. It should be an interesting game and another good test for Donahue's team. Here are some news and notes on the new look Hoosiers in preparation for tonight's game.

Record
6-0 but it is a little hollow. They have yet to play a ranked team and have not played away from Bloomington. Their best opponent was probably Evansville.

Rating
Kenpom has the Hoosiers 58th nationally in his power rating. BC is 40th. His ratings favor us in a one on one matchup.

Style

Indiana will mix it up on defense. Crean used to play a lot of man at Marquette but doesn't really have the size at IU to do that against most teams. They rely on different zone looks. Since we are not particularly big, we may see more man to man tonight.

On offense they have some strong perimeter players. Most probably now Maurice Creek, but Christian Watford has been their leading scorer and a solid rebounder. They won't chuck a lot of threes. They are more patient and will find the higher percentage shot and are deadly with putbacks.

Pointspread

BC-5.5

What to expect
I think playing at home and playing with confidence will lead us to another win. I think we can set the tempo early and force IU to play catchup and shoot more 3s than they would like. They don't have size to give us problems, but they will force turnovers. It should be a good test to see if Orlando was a good run or the sign of this team's potential.

Bowls Pros and Cons

As usual this time of year, the Bowl picture is a jumble. To recap, BC is a bad ticket seller, but a pretty good TV draw. Our 4-4 conference record negates the "BC rule" which means all the eligible ACC teams can be selected ahead of us. The good news though is that Clemson, Miami and Georgia Tech all ended their seasons with a thud and are not expected to buy tickets in bulk. BC is in the mix for the Sun (El Paso), Military (Washington, D.C.) and the Kraftfighthunger (San Francisco). I've covered some of this ground before, but now that we know some of the opponents and new options, I will do a quick Pros and Cons.

Sun Bowl
Pros: Historic. Easily the most prestigious Bowl BC will have played in since the Outback/Hall of Fame with Coughlin. It is sort of a local event in El Paso, so ticket sales are not a big deal. They are more concerned with good TV ratings. We don't have a big alumni base in west Texas, but who knows, our fans in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio might rally. It's got a decent date and TV timeslot (December 31 at 2 PM). There is a rumored SEC opponent.
Cons: It is in El Paso. I've been to El Paso. It has its charm but very, very few BC fans are going to make that trip. It is also down on the list of desirable locations for the players and their families. The rumored SEC opponent is still just a rumor. We could very well end up playing a MAC team. The violence across the border has taken away from some of the seedy charm a trip to El Paso used to have. Fans and players can't wander over to Mexico to check things out.

Military
Pros: It's close. It's near one of our biggest Alumni centers. We might sell a decent amount of tickets.
Cons: We would play East Carolina and Dominique Davis. The BC DC Club fears that the 29th might be a bad date to generate interest and ticket sales. It is a bad date for exams and practice schedules and a less appealing TV timeslot (2:30 PM).

Kraft Fight Hunger
Pros: It is a good date and is potentially against Boise State or Nevada.
Cons: We were just there and it is potentially against Boise State or Nevada.

My opinion
Knowing that we would face East Carolina soured me on the Military Bowl. It is the ultimate lose/lose game. Our fans won't care. The Dominique Davis narrative is overwhelming and I actually think ECU would give us a heck of a game. I don't know if BC fans have noticed but they have a prolific offense. We could slow them down, but could our offense score enough?

I've been in favor of a return trip to San Francisco and the prospect of Nevada or Boise State makes it that much more appealing. In my mind it is a win/win. We would be huge underdogs against Boise State and slight underdogs against Nevada. I actually think that with a month to prepare we would and could beat both. It would be a huge attention getter at the end of the season and end the season on a high note.

The Sun Bowl seems like a decent and safe fit. Ticket sales are not a factor (which screams BC!). We would get it checked off of the ACC rotation (would you rather go to the Sun Bowl this year or in a year where we went 10-2). The biggest plus is that we could face a name yet struggling team like Georgia or Tennessee. For many BC fans the name means more than the ranking.

With all that said, my vote is for the Sun and I hope Gene is working the phones now.

All Conference players and other links

Harris, Castonzo and Kuechly all earned all ACC honors. All were very deserving. Thomas Claiborne made the honorable mention team. My biggest gripe is that the voters ignored Donnie Fletcher. He should have at least made honorable mention. A healthy Albright would probably have made the team. I also think that if Spinney had been at Center all year, he might have gained more attention.

The Miami shake up is having an impact on BC's recruiting. Albert Louis-Jean, a Massachusetts native and one of Miami's top recruits, is keeping options open until the Canes get a new coach. He has visited BC and is still considering the Eagles.

BC still has interest in PA lineman J.J. Denman.

Jags is an early candidate for the Indiana opening. I won't get into my take on the Jags situation but BC guy Kevin Armstrong wrote a great feature on Jags this weekend.

This is a good look at our basketball team from the Indiana perspective.

Winning a tournament without winning the actual tournament

(Eds. note: grades and recap won't be up until late Monday night).

BC now has two wins over BCS programs and we are not even in December yet. With that, I say BC's trip to Florida was well worth it. Sure, there were some rough patches, and we didn't win the entire thing, but the team seems to have confidence and ability. This trip proved that they can hang with anyone. It also showed they have some flaws and need to work on

I saw the first two games and listened to the third game on the radio. In each BC was able to control tempo, shift on defense and generate decent shots in the new offense. Outside of a cold stretch in the second half against the Badgers, BC had no trouble generating points. But more than the efficiencies, I liked the way Donahue and the team responded to each other. This is a veteran team. They could have checked out after Yale. Or Wisconsin. Instead they fought to the end in the loss and came out focused today against Cal.

I will have more on the Xs and Os prior to the Indiana game. In the mean time I think this year might have a better upside than we envisioned.

Streaky regular season ends with a win in Syracuse

Lose five in a row. Win five in a row. I tweeted after the game that a win is a win and I believe that, but I still feel like this game and this season had missed opportunities. I didn't love the gameplan but it worked well enough. I know Tranq is likely to retire, but I hope this isn't our offense of the future. Do we really need to give any RB 40+ carries? But my big picture discussion of our coaching and approach will wait until later this week.

I am on the road Sunday, so I don't know if I will have my second viewing thoughts up late Sunday or some time on Monday. I may have a smaller post before then on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

In-game comments post: Syracuse

Had enough of family? This afternoon is your chance to sneak away and enjoy some BC football. Leave your comments below throughout the game.

You can also join the conversation on the Eagle Insider message boards.

I will also be on twitter periodically during the game.

Big game for women's soccer

Most of us will be focused on BC football this Saturday, but save a little room on your fan plate for the BC women's soccer team. They play Washington late Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament. It is a home game on the Newton Campus and the winner advances to the Final Four. Go Eagles!

First taste of Donahue

This was my first time I got to see the new Eagles...and I enjoyed it. I know a win makes everything seem better but there are some definite pluses to the new look and new regime.

The ball movement was pretty crisp. I know we won't shoot well every night, but the guys are pretty fluid and aggressive moving the ball. I love the tempo. I also was pleased with the minutes we got from Moton and Rubin. These guys we last minute recruits and showed today that they can hang at this level. It is encouraging and shows that this staff might be good at evaluating talent.

My main concern was the interior defense. A & M was able to get some easy baskets by driving to the hoop. We also had no answer for when they got the ball into the low post (even our help D was late). I don't put much blame on Donahue for that though. I just don't think we have the talent inside at this point.

I also worry a bit about the rebounding. With that it is not just a size thing. We don't have a enough natural rebounders and that will cost us in the weeks ahead.

One game doesn't make a season, but this was very encouraging. We play a much more exciting style of basketball and proved that we can beat

BC-Syracuse Preview

Think of how much has changed for BC and Syracuse since we last played. New conferences, new coaches and huge peak for BC while Syracuse became the dregs of college football. Now things have leveled off and playing closer to their respective modern histories. This is also the first attempt at turning this game into an end of the season tradition. I don't think it will ever become Michigan-Ohio State, but it would be nice to play a meaningful game on the last week of the season.

Overlooked storyline for the game: This game might not impact our bowl status but it could be the key to getting ranked at the end of the season. Yes, I said ranked. My point is that if we win this game and play in the San Francisco game and win that, the narrative that "BC is a hot team closing strong" will be fresh on voter's minds. I am not putting any money on us being ranked but I could see it happen.

Three Simple Keys
1. Limiting Williams' touches. We've been spoiled by Harris's toughness and consistency. Williams might great one day too, but I think giving him the ball 20+ times might be a mistake. Earlier this season he coughed it up.
2. Force them to put the game on Nassib's shoulders. Nassib is not as good as some of the other QBs we've faced this year. If we shutdown their running game, I don't think Nassib is accurate or patient enough to put up a lot of points on us.
3. Keep stretching the field. One of the things I've liked about Tranq is his willingness to go deep. We should keep that up this week as our bigger receivers have proven effective in those one on one battles downfield.

Gambling Notes
-- BC has won three-straight regular season finales.
-- Syracuse hasn't beaten an ACC in the Carrier Dome since 1994
-- BC is 4-18 all time at Syracuse
The current line is BC+3

Factoid
It has been six seasons since we played Syracuse. But that break isn't the longest in the series. We didn't play the Orange from 1945 until the series resumed in 1958.

Scoreboard Watching
It probably won't make a difference, but pay attention to how the other 6-5 ACC teams do this weekend. Often times bowl positioning is about momentum. If we have some and others are riding losing streaks into the postseason, we might not end up out West.

I hope to see...
Kuechly have a big day. Although I think he is a long shot for some of these national awards, I think a big day this weekend might help his chances. The game is on national TV. We are playing out of conference so there will be some new eyes on Luke. Plus it is a road game with Syracuse official scorer. If he gets another 20 tackles people will notice.

BC is in trouble if...
We can't stop their ground game. I don't need to remind you what happened in 2004.

Bottom Line
We are the underdog and headed to a place where we've only won a few times. Yet I am not worried. I think we are coming into our own and have he type of defense that will frustrate Syracuse. If Williams can be 75% of what Harris usually is, we will cruise to victory.
Final Score: BC 31, Syracuse 17

More awards, draft stuff and other links

Kuechly is a finalist for the Butkus award. An interesting note in the article also mentions that the team is taking a bus to Syracuse. We used to fly, but our last trip resulted in a late arrival. Maybe they feel the bus will be more reliable.

With his health less of an issue, Herzlich is now thinking about playing at the next level.

Castanzo is rising up NFL draft boards.

In preparation for playing Matt Ryan and the Falcons, Green Bay reached out to Jags for a scouting report.

The women's soccer team is getting ready for their next NCAA tourney game this weekend. Here is a Q&A with the team's Chelsea Regan.

Vegas vs San Francisco

The ACC has nine bowl eligible teams and only eight official slots. Everyone seems to agree that BC will be the ninth team and have to float to an open bowl position elsewhere. I have no problem with this. If the alternative is playing in Shreveport, I think most BC fans would rather play in another conference's bowl on the west coast. The Pac 10 is unlikely to fill all of their bowl slots, so everyone is assuming BC will return to San Francisco for the Kraft Fight Hunger on January 9. I think a much more interesting destination for BC would be the Las Vegas Bowl. It is another PAC 10 game and most think Vegas will use the slot to invite Notre Dame. What wouldn't BC push to go there? We've been to San Francisco twice. Vegas won't be a big draw but I bet BC fans in San Fran, Southern Cal and Phoenix might rally for a quick flight, a fun game and a night on the Strip.

Let's break down the pros and cons of each bowl.

Date
Vegas is December 22. San Francisco is January 9. This is a huge advantage for San Francisco. The later January date doesn't conflict with an exams and allows BC a little more time to sell tickets. Both games would enable the players to spend more time at home. San Fran allows the coaches to spread out the practices a bit more.

Location
Both a great for entirely different reasons. Vegas wins though on a newness factor. The only downside of Vegas is that it would inevitably lead to a million BC gambling jokes.

Opponent
Vegas would be a Mountain West team. San Francisco would be a WAC team. In the big picture a MWC opponent is a better for rankings and ratings, but the WAC representative could be a ranked Nevada team.

TV timeslot
Since most of us will be watching from the comfort of our own couch, I thought I would factor in TV. In this case San Fran wins easy. The Vegas Bowl is a Wednesday right before the holidays. Most of us will be busy and doing and thinking of something other than BC football. January 9 is a Sunday, well after the holidays.

I think we are 99% going to San Francisco, but I hope Gene is at least working the phones for see what else we might be able to do.

Blogpoll ballot

This is always a tough time of year for the rankings. Good teams lose on a regular basis and some random team from a smaller conference keeps piling up wins. Plus I wasn't able to watch as much football this week, which also makes these things less informed. I moved Wisconsin up because they are on such a tear.

Games I watched
BC vs Virginia 100% (twice)
North Carolina-NC State 10%
Maryland-Florida State 25%
LSU-Ole Miss 25%

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 13

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	--
2	Auburn Tigers	--
3	Wisconsin Badgers	6
4	Stanford Cardinal	--
5	LSU Tigers	-2
6	Boise St. Broncos	1
7	TCU Horned Frogs	-2
8	Ohio St. Buckeyes	2
9	Michigan St. Spartans	-1
10	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
11	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
12	Florida St. Seminoles	2
13	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
14	Missouri Tigers	3
15	South Carolina Gamecocks	-4
16	N.C. State Wolfpack	--
17	Oklahoma Sooners	4
18	Iowa Hawkeyes	-3
19	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-13
20	Texas A&M Aggies	--
21	Utah Utes	-1
22	Nevada Wolf Pack	--
23	Northern Illinois Huskies	--
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
25	Hawaii Warriors	--
Dropouts: Arkansas Razorbacks, Northwestern Wildcats, Miami Hurricanes, USC Trojans, Temple Owls, Maryland Terrapins, Mississippi St. Bulldogs

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Could a football field fit in Fenway?

As regular readers know I've long advocated a Bowl game in Fenway. My arguement is that it would be better for BC than going to some of these other far flung destinations where we can't sell seats. I also think the novelty would attract some non-BC fans in Boston. SB Nation's Jon Bois took the time to see if a regulation field would even fit in Fenway's current footprint. Here is what he found:

View Football at Fenway Park in a larger map

It would be a very tight fit, but I think it is worth a shot. Like Wrigley there is no breathing room in the right field endzone, but unlike Wrigley I bet the Sox could adjust something there. It makes more financial sense to take down a bullpen wall when it is not made of bricks and supporting stands.

Harris's injury and other links

With his surgery yesterday, Montel Harris moved from unknown recovery time to three to six weeks. He will miss Syracuse and may miss our bowl game. If we are in the San Francisco Bowl again, their late kickoff date (January 9) would help the timeline a bit. I don't care either way...I just hope for a full recovery. Montel is poised to own the BC rushing record books and it would be a shame to screw up his knee by rushing him back for a pointless bowl.

Bob Ryan hasn't paid much attention to BC this season, but he finally sat down to write a nice story on Luke Kuechly.

Spaz is starting to fill up his class with under the radar guys and late bloomers. I know some bemoan this strategy but I have no problem with it. I've always felt banking scholarships was silly. Give a kid a chance and you may get a good football player. Plus you always need the bodies. One of the commits is Canadian Eddie Meredith. Even though he might take a few recruiting trips Graham Stewart says he's still solid on BC.

Likes and Dislikes: the Holy Cross win

This was another game that I had to follow online so take this all for what it is worth. WZBC Sports twitter coverage was very good.

Likes
-- Starting Rubin. He went 4-9 from 3. I know he was a last minute recruit. I know there are real questions if he can defend in the ACC, but Donahue wants and needs shooters. If Rubin and be productive offensively I have no problem with him getting minutes over our more experienced guys.
-- Only five turnovers. That is encouraging and will certainly help our efficiency numbers.
-- Using the full and 3/4 press. I didn't get to see it but based on the tweets is seemed effective. I also like the idea of establishing tempo with the press.

Dislikes
-- Poor shooting from Trapani and Jackson. We won despite neither shooting well. I hope they both start finding their shots within the offense. According to Donahue there should still be plenty of opportunities for them to drive and cut towards the basket.
-- Allowing Holy Cross to cut into the lead late. We controlled in the end, but they made it interesting at times in the second half. We need a killer instinct.

Although we own the series Holy Cross always serves as a scary trap game. I am glad Donahue managed it and already seems to be adjusting his lineup. Maybe we will make things interesting in Orlando.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Virginia

This is not going to come out right but that was actually a well-played bad game. What I mean by that is that most of the guys played well, there weren't many glaring mistakes yet we allowed a poor Virginia team to move the ball, hang around and put up a Hail Mary at the end that would have won the game if they connected. Sometimes you take the win any way you can.

Offense: B-

Rettig didn't look that great Saturday. He had a few passes that could have been picked off. He took some sacks when he probably should have run. Even his one TD pass was into double coverage and sort of a risky pass. My bigger concern though is he waited in the pocket for WRs to get open on their breaks...and waited and waited. He really should be getting rid of the ball faster and as they come out of breaks. If the pass catcher is stationary it gives the DBs time to break on the ball. I did like Chase's toughness on the few plays when he did run. And although he didn't connect a lot I did like his willingness to throw downfield.

Harris had a nice game. Most of his big runs came off of counters and traps instead of stretches or draws. Williams obviously had a nice day too. I don't know if he has Montel's vision or feel but he certainly hits the hole quickly. McCluskey had another great day as a lead blocker. I wish he would get more credit for it.

Amidon's TD was very nice and he should be applauded for his hands and focus. I think he has decent speed too, because he was winning one on one battles downfield (Chase just couldn't get him the ball deep that often). Momah had another nice day. Swigert wasn't as active but caught a ball as did Lee. I usually don't mention Pantale's blocking but he did a nice job on a few of Montel's runs. Anderson blocked well too.

The offensive line played well although they did have a few breakdowns. Claiborne whiffed on a later coming rusher who sacked Rettig. Spinney got overpowered at one point. White struggled a bit so they brought in Richman. Even Castonzo allowed a sack (but he played very well otherwise). The only Oline who played really well throughout was Cleary.

Aside from our first trip to the redzone, I didn't hate the play calling. It was a little conservative once we got the lead, but overall it was effective. I appreciate that Tranq is letting Rettig throw it deep. Our play fakes were effective. I just wish he would start throwing it more. We are not doing ourselves any favors with our slow tempo. Shortening the game against a UVA or say Syracuse next week doesn't play to our strengths.

Defense: C+

The defensive line as a group did not look that sharp. Scafe, Quinn and Holloway all had near sacks that turned into big UVA plays. Newman seemed a step slow or a little off. Edebali wasn't as effective and didn't seem to be on the field much after he got dinged. We clearly missed Ramsey. I do want to credit Dan Williams. He's been waiting to get on the field a long time and looked decent at DE this weekend.

Herzlich made his final day at Alumni memorable. I know everyone hyped the INT, but that was just him playing catch with one hand (as there was no one else around). The REAL jaw dropper was the play before when he tied up the TE and came down with the ball. They didn't call it our way but I think he had a pick there and it was amazing to 1. catch it and 2. wrestle it away with one hand. He also had some nice tackles. Kuechly was Kuechly with an added blitz or two mixed in. KPL had one of his better games. Devitto got in on a few plays too.

Fletcher played well until he got hurt. Fox was solid. Jones looked fine. The safeties weren't as active but Okaroha made a few nice plays. LeGrande and Noel played but weren't near the action all that much.

The good news was that Virginia only scored 13 points. The frustrating news was that they moved the ball up and down on us. We had a few dog blitzes in the first half, but didn't do much of that in the second. We should have as it was very effective. We also didn't do much to put them off balance. In fact by not mixing it up Virginia became more bold and Verica had no problem finding the spots in the zone.

Special Teams: B-

Quigley did a good job placing the ball. It was refreshing to see Ryan Lindsey get a shot at returning and he looked ok. Heads up play by Boek on the onsides. Freese shanked on kickoff but was otherwise good. My biggest problem on special teams was what we didn't do. Why not go for the block when they are pinned back? It is the sort of aggressive move that can put the game away. Instead we ended up with the ball back in our territory.

Overall: B-
As I mentioned in the quick review and earlier in the post, we didn't play poorly. We just played into their hands. In those situations, I just wish Spaz would do something to have his coordinators mix it up. Our two minute drill finally clicked: why not go uptempo for a drive or two? The blitz worked early. Why stop? But we stuck with our gameplan and won in the end. So Spaz has that to hang his hat on. Theses "win streak" games haven't been pretty but I'll take the winning over the losing any day. I am glad we are bowling. I hope with that pressure relieved Spaz really plays to win against Syracuse. I think all BC fans would be thankful for it.

Seniors go out in style

Play calling can be a lot like Rock, Paper, Scissors. Today I felt we executed pretty well but UVA often just had the right call against what we were trying to do. That made things frustrating and I was upset we didn't counter much, but a win is a win. I am happy for the guys and especially the seniors. I don't know if the bowl streak is that important to them, but at least they get some free stuff and a cool trip. Let's end on a high note next week against Syracuse!

I'll have second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Virginia

Final home game. Final ACC game. Finally a chance to get bowl eligible. The home slate hasn't been much fun this year. Let's end on a high note! Leave your thoughts and comments on the game below.

You can also join the conversation on the Eagle Insider message boards.

If you are on twitter check out my tweets account during the game.

Game Watches: Virginia

Still don't have ESPN U? Well head down to your local game watch to enjoy the home finale of this senior class. If your chapter is having an event please post it in the comments.

Chicago Game Watch
Trinity
2721 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614-1413

Denver Game Watch
Big Game Restaurant & Lounge
1631 Wazee St
Denver, CO 80202


New York City Game Watches
Vertigo
354 Third Avenue at 26th Street


Thunder Jackson's
Bleecker and Sullivan

Phoenix Game Watch
Gallagher's Sports Bar and Grill
7575 N. 16th Street, Phoenix

A message from the Seniors