BC-UMass preview

Despite this nonsense, no one really cares about this game. But I will keep pounding the drum that good UMass Football is good for BC. Will this game make much of a difference for either team or football in the Bay State? Probably not. Even if the Minutemen pull off an upset, few outside the hardcore fans will remember it years from now. In 2014 this game is not about building a rivalry or changing the football culture in New England. It is about BC starting its second season with Addazio. And for that, I am excited.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
For me -- and a few other BC fans -- Mark Whipple is our bad penny. When he was winning big at UMass, he seemed so much more dynamic than TOB. When the BC job opened, so many expected him to get the job. Now years later as he has bounced around college and the NFL, his luster is certainly gone. I don't begrudge him, but I don't look back on what might have been had he taken over in 2007. Will he be able to lift UMass out of the depths of FBS? I don't know. It is a young man's game and UMass' commitment to football is always in doubt. If it doesn't work out in Amherst, I am sure he will show up somewhere else in football where he will face BC.

Three Simple Keys
1. Rush for 250 yards or more. We are a young team and Whipple knows how to prepare for Brown's Defense. If we want to control the tempo and the scoreboard we need to run the ball over and over. I don't care if one runner dominates or if it is a group effort. I just think we need to run for at least 250 yards to win.
2. Convert field goal attempts. Freese was one of the underappreciated aspects of last year's team. Howell is not nearly as sharp. Conditions and the surface should be pretty ideal. He needs to build his confidence.
3. Get at least three sacks. Because of their history, I expect a little cat and mouse between Whipple and Brown. But even if we ease off of the blitzing, there should still be some pressure that comes organically.

Gambling Notes
-- Addazio is 3-0 in season openers as a head coach. (All were against Villanova.)
-- BC has lost five straight road openers.
-- BC leads the series 18-5.
The current line is BC-17

Factoid
BC last played in Foxboro in 1987. We lost to Penn State 27-17.

Scoreboard Watching
I am interested in how Pitt does against Delaware. This is a short week for both teams. Delaware is a good FCS program, but Pitt should win. The best indicator for our game is if Delaware can run the ball on them.

I hope to see...
Murphy look really poised. I don't think we are going to air it out. I also don't think the environment will create much pressure on him. But that doesn't mean that he won't be nervous or make mistakes. Ideally he will look like an experienced fifth-year senior. If he's calm and confident, it can carry BC a long way this season.

BC is in trouble if...
UMass scores early. I know Villanova took an early lead last year and we came back, but this is different. The game is on the road. We are playing an FBS team. We are young. Things could unravel. That is why I want to establish the run in the first quarter.

Bottom Line
I don't think anything will be easy this year, but I am not truly worried about blowing this game. I think we have enough of a talent advantage, that our inexperience won't be an issue. BC will take control in the first half and win by a comfortable margin.
Final Score: BC 31, UMass 13

Official Basketball schedule released

Aside from the coaching change the biggest difference between last year's basketball season and this one will be the schedule. Although the previous staff's commitments to the Coaches vs Cancer games and the Puerto Rico Tip-off could not be changed, the rest of the non-conference schedule is easier. BC plays Harvard and Providence as usual, but also takes it easier with Marist, Maine and UMass-Lowell. The new ACC's rotations kick in too. We get Louisville for the first time as a conference foe and Pitt comes back to Conte.

Brian noted the abundance of 9 PM starts, but to me that is a non-issue. Attendance is going to be terrible this year regardless of when the games are played. Christian understands this but he's not going to go out and shake every student's hand to get them to games. His marketing plan is about winning basketball. TV dictates so much, we are going to see 9 PM starts from here to eternity. It is up to BC to provide winning basketball and rethink the capacity and configuration of Conte so that it is right-sized for the demand. We play Notre Dame, Syracuse and UNC in heart of the season at home. If we are playing good basketball and near .500, I think crowds will be decent.

Scheduling undid last year. That won't be the case this year. Confidence means a lot in basketball. I hope fattening up on the non-conference teams makes us more competitive come ACC play.

Depth Chart for UMass

BC released the official Depth Chart for the UMass game. Nothing really surprised as most of these names had been floating around the various message boards for days.

The mild surprise based on last season is Duggan starting over Daniels. But it was rumored through the summer that Duggan was playing very well. I am sure both will see plenty of action. Once you see it on paper, you realize how big our starting WRs are. I imagine they will be blocking often.

What is not listed who else will get on the field when we go with Jumbo packages. Last year Betancourt was usually the first one off the bench.

The final thought that hit me as I looked at the page, was how much of the team is already Addazio's. We clearly pay attention to the attrition and turnover, but seeing the roster really hits it home.

Season Prediction Part III: what will happen

Last year BC overachieved. Some of that was luck, but a lot of it was coaching. I felt Addazio played to his strengths while still instilling his values and philosophies. While putting that sort of imprint on a team doesn't guarantee permanent success, I do think it will serve BC well as he navigates through his second season. We are also experienced in a few places that can mask a lot of issues (QB and OLine). Yet I am still a realist. I don't think we will win the ACC, but I do think we go bowling again. It won't be easy, but my gut tells me it will still be fun.

Here are my official predictions for the season.

What Will Happen

at UMass. Win. We pound them and I also think Don Brown will know just what to do against his old buddy Whipple.

Pitt. Win. I think this will be one of the toughest games of our peer programs. But I think we can steal a win at home against a solid Pitt team.

USC. Loss. USC doesn't smother the offense again, but we still cannot overcome their talent advantages.

Maine. Win. Maine might be a decent FCS team, but we are not going to lose this game.

Colorado State. Win. I don't like the matchup against CSU. I still think we win, but it won't be pretty.

at NC State. Loss. NC State should be much better this season. I also think the first road game of the season will be a challenge.

Clemson. Loss. I fear that some of the games we kept close last year won't be close this season. 

at Wake Forest. Win. Wake will have trouble stopping our rushing attack and BC nears bowl eligibility. 

at Virginia Tech. Loss. I don't think Virginia Tech is all that good, but I do think road wins will be tough to come by this year.

Louisville. Loss. This is the toughest part of the season. The defense struggles and the rest of the schedule looks daunting. 

at Florida State. Loss. This is ugly. All of us are wondering if Addazio can rally the guys in the final week.

Syracuse. Win. Another tough, close game. BC pulls it out to get to six wins and become bowl eligible.

6-6 (4-4) leaves BC eligible for bowls but totally unwanted. ESPN and the ACC force us on the Bitcoin Bowl in Tampa. To offset the lack of BC tickets, the bowl selects USF as our opponent. It becomes a virtual road game but that doesn't bother our hardened team. We win a close game and finish 7-6. It is not a historic BC season but it sets the right tone for recruiting and Addazio's future. 

Captains announced and other links

BC announced their 2014 Captains. They are Josh Bordner, Sean Duggan, Andy Gallik and Dominique Williams. It is an interesting collection and I always appreciate when it is not the best players elected captain (other than Gallik, I wouldn't say the others are obvious choices based on past performance). I hope that the honor means that the team thinks these guys are ready for a big season or that they are putting thought into the vote and electing true examples for team leadership. Or hopefully both and these captain are good guys ready to have great seasons. I know that the tradition and legacy is drilled into these players, so I am sure they are all honored.

Tim Joy injured his knee and will miss the entire season. Fortunately we have depth at Linebacker. I wish him a full recovery and hopefully he can redshirt and play two more years.

UMass released their depth chart for the game. BC's is floating out on message boards, but the official chart has yet to be released.

Season Prediction Part II: best case scenario

Things don't always go wrong. Sometimes every bounce can go your way and you end up overachieving. I don't feel that way this year, but who knows? Maybe things will go our way. If Murphy has a big season and if the defense improves as Brown's units do in Year 2, we might be the surprise team of the ACC. I don't think this will happen, but it could.

Best Case Scenario

at UMass. Win. Not even close. BC controls and the offense looks great without Andre Williams.

Pitt. Win. This is a close game, but BC creates a few turnovers that kill Pitt drives.

USC. Win. This is a signature win for the season and it is early. BC catches USC a bit jetlagged and benefits from playing them a week after Stanford. We pound away and win by a healthy margin.

Maine. Win. The backups play and BC is off to a 4-0 start. Everyone is pumped.

Colorado State. Win. Not a great game, but another win. BC enters the Top 25.

at NC State. Win. Like CSU, this is another game where BC does not play particularly well, but still escapes with the win. It is the luck I hoped for plus a good rushing attack.

Clemson. Loss. The Dream Season bubble bursts as we lose our first game.

at Wake Forest. Win. Wake is bad and I think we beat them in any type of season.

at Virginia Tech. Win. Although this is not a great Hokie squad, the win gets BC some more respect and gets us back into the Top 25.

Louisville. Loss. But then we fall right out again as a solid Louisville team puts up big numbers on our Defense.

at Florida State. Loss. The Champs are cruising and the game is not close. With the loss we are eliminated from the Division title.

Syracuse. Win. A solid end to the regular season. We avenge last season's heartbreaker.

The 9-3 (5-3) surprises everyone including most Bowl Committees. No one wants us but we cannot slip down too far due to our 5-3 ACC record. We end up in the Sun Bowl playing Stanford. We cap off the season with another upset win and finish with a 10-3 record and a Top 25 ranking. It is a huge accomplishment and has everyone on the bandwagon for the Addazio era.

Season Prediction Part I: worst case scenario

I couldn't be more excited about the season. I think Addazio did a good job of plugging holes and I think we can be competitive with most of our opponents. However, things don't always play out that way. This is my annual tradition of forecasting a season that goes off the rails. As a reminder, I don't think this will happen and I will make an official prediction later in the week. But if a few things go wrong, this is how the season could play out.

Worst Case Scenario

at UMass. Win. I am sure Whipple has extra motivation for this game, but that can't cover the flaws in his roster. It is closer than the spread, but BC wins.

Pitt. Loss. Pitt does the things we want to do, only they do them better. It is not a high scoring game, because both teams spend a lot of time running, but BC cannot keep it close. 

USC. Loss. Last year we played them amidst the chaos of Lane Kiffin...and it wasn't close. This year they are more than ready and the difference in talent is more noticeable.

Maine. Win. Like UMass, this isn't pretty but we do enough right to control the game and lock up a win.

Colorado State. Loss. One of the turning points between an okay season and a bad one. BC let's this game slip away and leaves us wondering if there is a guaranteed third win on the schedule.

at NC State. Loss. Our first true road game of the season and it does not go well. Murphy struggles and we start to wonder if it is time to play one of the freshmen.

Clemson. Loss. Remember the close, physical game at Clemson last year? So does Clemson. They take us seriously from the start and never allow a big play.

at Wake Forest. Win. Wake has a lot of problems and holes in their roster. Addazio still does enough to rally the boys and get an ACC road win. 

at Virginia Tech. Loss. Typical BC game in Blacksburg. We play hard but the big plays all go their way and we come out with a loss.

Louisville. Loss. Their offense destroys our defense as the heavy blitzing just leads to big plays.

at Florida State. Loss. At this point the Seminoles are cruising and looking to impress Committee members. They hang 50 on us.

Syracuse. Loss. I think this could be another close game that doesn't go our way again.

Even at 3-9, no one is calling for Addazio's head. Most understand this is a transition year. In this case, it leads to a few more transfers and another big recruiting class. But it does reset expectations for 2015 and puts pressure on the young guys to contribute. As I said, I am confident this won't happen...but it could. 

Brown signs and serves as model for Christian recruiting

As expected former Southern Miss wing Aaron Brown signed with BC. He's immediately eligible and will start working out with the team right away. After losing out on Terance Mann earlier in the week, locking up Brown is a good sign. Missing on Mann and getting Brown is probably a good look into Christian's future.

Christian has made it clear that he's not going to overload the 2015 recruiting class with freshman. I would expect four and a maximum of five freshmen coming in next year. He'll then back fill the open scholarships with more traditional transfers and a few fifth years. This makes sense on so many fronts. It breaks the cycle of long rebuilds led by one mega class that started with the Raji-Paris-Sanders class under Skinner and continued with Donahue's first full class.

Better distributing the scholarships and adding older players should lead to a more consistent program. If we are ever going to be elite, Christian will have to land a few more players like Mann, but for now a roster of Brown types would be an improvement.

Tweets of the Week

From Boston College to (left to right) Rangers, Flames, Flames. #cawlidgehawkey pic.twitter.com/fFB9R4FbmO

— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) August 20, 2014

"Ice bucket challenge? We call that Syracuse in March." - Jim Boeheim, probably

— NunesMagician.com (@NunesMagician) August 15, 2014

A friend at #NotreDame just found this inscribed on a desk on 13th floor of ND library #WeAreBC #TheRivalry pic.twitter.com/NNJbqHvivM

— Jeremy Zipple (@jzipple) August 15, 2014

Just got off the phone with @coach_pmurph!! I need all @BCAlumni to head back to @BostonCollege on sept 13! As we take on USC!! #WeAreBC

— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) August 16, 2014

#EaglesAreEverywhere! RT @carolynrfreeman: I found @BostonCollege at Harry's Bar in Paris! Go Eagles ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/neJkMlR2Sd

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) August 19, 2014

Mann to FSU

Wednesday, prized recruit Terance Mann verbaled to Florida State. As a local product and one of BC's biggest targets, this is disappointing all around. Donahue worked Mann hard and the new staff kept the pressure on the Tilton School product. In fact there was gossip in the final weeks of the season that if Mann committed, it would have saved Donahue's job. In retrospect, things weren't that close.

Where does this leave Christian and Company? He now has to find more perimeter prospects. It would have been nice to close out on the best kids in New England, but there are plenty of good players out there. BC also has a ton of available scholarships, so I expect them to include a transfer or two in this recruiting class.

I am still giving Christian plenty of time. Losing out on one or two high profile guys is not the end of the world. Think of the bloggers though. Losing Terance Mann means we don't get to fill posts and twitter with tons of Field of Dreams references.

Ranking the most critical players

When Braxton Miller went down earlier in the week, I tweeted about BC's good fortune in missing the injury bug this summer. Of course this sort of mocking of the football gods will come back to bite me (and BC) and leave the roster decimated. But of all these hypothetical injuries which one would be the most serious? For example a injury to Tyler Murphy would be a bigger deal than an injury to Myles Willis. Not because Murphy is a better player, but because Willis' position is one of the few where we have depth. It is all subjective but here is my ranking of the most critical players for the 2014 season. Leave your thoughts or rebuttals below.

1. Tyler Murphy. Although he has never thrown a pass for BC, he's the starting QB in a QB dependent system and the only QB on the roster with any experience. If he gets hurt, we are forced to rollout a true, raw freshman.
2. Shakim Phillips. Assuming Swigert is not going to be 100% to start the season, Phillips might be our only experienced WR. We are going to run a lot, but we need a capable WR to be a threat or else we will face stacked defenses all season.
3. Steven Daniels. The fact that he is in a position battle may indicate that we are deeper at LB than expected, but Daniels remains the most experienced and productive linebacker in a linebacker dependent system.
4. Myles Willis. Willis won't approach Andre Williams' carries, but he is our most explosive offensive player. I expect him to be a critical part of the passing offense too.
5. Andy Gallik. Most of our OLine could and have played multiple positions on the offensive line. The nuances of Center are a little more tricky, making Gallik harder to replace. He's also expected to be our best OLineman too.

We have a name for our gold, but where is "SuperFan Yellow?"

My BC catalog arrived Tuesday, which is like Christmas around here. I don't actually buy anything and I could already look up 99% of the stuff online, but getting it in flimsy, old school magazine page style form is still exciting. I go over each item and think "I'd wear that." I also read all the descriptions, which is how I finally realized we have a name for the gold BC uses. According to the Follet Company (publishers of the catalog) our khaki-like, sort of muted gold is called "Vegas Gold." Has this been a long-time descriptor and I am now just picking up on it? I know BC didn't create the name "Vegas Gold" and has been using this type of gold for a while, but reading the Vegas name makes it seem all that more official.

For the longest time BC's colors were all over the place on officially licensed gear. Some shirts looked like ketchup and mustard and others looked like eggplant and tan. Now I think we are finally establishing some consistency. Most of the items in the catalog all seem to have the same shades of maroon and gold. If that is due to picking an official color, then job well done to whoever took control of the situation. Yet now as we finally have some consistency, I want to shake things up. I want more SuperFan Yellow.

You can buy SuperFan shirts online and a few different SuperFan Yellow items, but no BC team has worn a jersey or uniform inspired by the SuperFan colors. Instead of pushing the "gold outs" or stainglass trim, it is about time that BC rolls out a special SuperFan jersey. Don't make it a regular thing. Do it as part of the marketing deal with Under Armour.

I know a lot goes into the marketing and scheduling of special uniforms. I appreciate what BC's done to increase the consistency and quality of our official merchandise. But now that the basics are locked down, it is time to try a SuperFan jersey.

(P.S. The Georgia catalog has yet to arrive. I will let you know it is deja vu again.)

One more hoops transfer?

Southern Miss granted grad student Aaron Brown a partial release to transfer. Because he has his degree, he is eligible to play immediately. He visited campus Monday and will obviously make his decision soon. Based on the approaching semester and the limited number of openings at other schools, BC's chances look good. Where else can Brown play in a major conference right away? He also has a bit of history with Preston Murphy.

Any new bodies are welcome, but wing/perimeter players remains one area where BC has depth. I think Christian can and will take Brown, but I don't know if he's a season changer. I would prefer a true point or another big, but Brown is better than not using a scholarship.

With or without Brown, it is still hard to know what to expect of this team. It is going to be a mismatch of style and roster and we have no idea what we are getting out of our bigs or how much Hanlan can do on his own. But picking up Brown this late gives us one more option. I'll take it.

Peter Frates' story on ESPN

ESPN finally told the story of Peter Frates -- the guy who made the Ice Bucket Challenge go viral. It was produced by my friend and BC grad Drew Gallagher. Watch it and remember that this is what the Challenge is all about.

Milano to Columbus and other links

After repeatedly proclaiming he was coming to BC, incoming recruit Sonny Milano signed with Columbus and will forego his college career. As much as it sets back BC's program, I trust York and team to fill this potential gap. Good luck to Milano.

Former BC Hockey player Corey Griffin died in Nantucket Saturday morning.

The second scrimmage was a bit sloppy. You can credit the defense, but Addazio was more concerned about the turnovers.

Tweets of the Week

Congrats to former HC Cathy Inglese for being a member of the Varsity Club HOF Class of 2014. http://t.co/mNK0Xmz5RO pic.twitter.com/OW2PbZOKpY

— BC Womens Basketball (@bc_wbb) August 13, 2014

Nice to have @BCAlumni Joe Tessitore at #BCFootball14 practice this a.m. @ESPNCFB #wearebc pic.twitter.com/Ryh6wp1e3x

— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) August 12, 2014

Congrats to my mentor, Cathy Inglese, on her induction to @Bos tonCollege Hall of Fame. I learned SO much from her! pic.twitter.com/fbcW5a981a

— Erik Johnson (@BC_CoachJohnson) August 13, 2014

One of our favorite days of the year, Ticket Day! We're ready for @BCFootballNews #GoEagles #tailgatetime pic.twitter.com/jhrlZLbPTt

— Greg (@eagle98alum) August 13, 2014

I've accepted the #ALSIceBucketChallenge. Haven't checked the internet, but I think I'm the first celebrity. http://t.co/cxnx1iPi9G

— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) August 15, 2014

All college football schedules now written in pencil

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

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

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

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

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

Predict the attendance for BC-UMass

A vocal group of BC fans have long proclaimed that attendance at home games would be better if Alumni had more parking and friendlier tailgating rules. I have never bought into that logic, but it has served as common Straw man when discussing BC's attendance issues and the game day restrictions imposed by BC's neighbors. I don't want to set up dueling Straw men, but I do think BC's game against UMass in Gillette Stadium is a good test to see how much tailgating matters.

But I will acknowledge that just because the game is being played in Massachusetts doesn't mean the majority of our season ticket holders will go. There are multiple reasons why BC fans won't turn out in droves: Labor Day Weekend is already a tough time to host a football game, Foxoborough traffic can be bad on game days, the effort to buy and pay for another ticket, and UMass is terrible. With only a few weeks remaining until kickoff, I don't get the sense that many BC fans are going. And given the history, not many UMass fans will be there either.

Last year UMass' listed attendance for their home opener against Maine was 15,624. For their home opener in 2012, UMass listed attendance at 16,304. When BC last played UMass at Alumni, 30,176 showed up. Given the history and all the factors, my prediction for this game is 22,000. That won't be enough for BC to justify changing our rules or using Gillette as an occasional venue, but we will be able to take credit for a significant increase in UMass' gate.

What do you think? Are you going? How many people will they claim showed up? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Practice Dog Days and other links

These are the toughest practices now. The energy and freshness of opening camp is gone and the games are still far off. This is the chance for players to impress, but BC also risks injury on every play. We won't hear much in the next few weeks either. Addazio wants to control details coming out, so some of the regulars writers and bloggers have been asked to cut back on their specificity (regarding depth, reps, etc.). I know Addazio is not the first coach to do this, but I think he is making a mistake. If your season is so dependent on what a future opponent might gleam from twitter or a practice write up, then you have bigger issues.  A coach should be focused on preparation and execution. Don't waste time with the media.

Last week I speculated on what the new NCAA rules might do to college hockey. Joseph Gravellese took the issue further with a strong post at BCI.

This isn't BC specific, but it is a very good article about college recruiting. The coaches own up to how low their actual hit rates are in scouting. The biggest challenges are maturity and puberty. 

2014 Preview Questions: Will this be like Addazio's second year at Temple?

Last season was great. Even after losing much of last year's team there is plenty of optimism about Year 2 of Addazio. Temple fans know that optimism. They shared it when Addazio led them back to the Big East in his second year. Yet things did not go well. Temple slid back to their all too familiar losing ways and the coach bailed when BC came calling. I don't expect this season to be easy but I also don't expect a repeat of Addazio's second year in Philly. Fortunately there are enough differences between the two situations for BC fans to feel hope.

The conference transition. Switching conferences can be tough. It is even tougher when there is a big jump in talent. As strong as the program was, Temple still probably wasn't ready to move from the MAC. Addazio recruited well, but much of that talent was young in 2012.

New Offensive Coordinator. Want to add a degree of difficulty to a conference move? How about changing OCs! I like Ryan Day and Addazio is a former OC, so all his Coordinators are influenced by him, but things were bumpy in Year 2. Some of it was due to injuries and depth. Eventually they started clicking once they started using creative run schemes (sound familiar?) but it was too late to save the season record.

Frontloaded schedule. After taking on Villanova, Addazio took on Maryland and Penn State out of conference. BC's out of conference schedule is not as challenging and we get to start our season at home or in Gillette.

The other change is that Addazio is two year wiser. He's now been through a Year 2. Ideally he's learned and can avoid the same mistakes that hurt Temple in 2012.

Skinner's name floated for job and other links

College of Charleston is looking for a new coach after the abrupt dismissal of Doug Wojcik. Of course Al is getting mentioned. The favorite is C of C grad Anthony Johnson. I don't expect Skinner to get the job, but I think he'd be perfect. Plus who else are they going to get on such short notice?

Chase Rettig got extended playing time in the Packers' preseason game. It wasn't a great showing.

This article on Baker and Troy Flutie is a few days old but worth the read. Troy's recruitment and potential position has been a loaded issue from Day 1. It looks like he is handling it well. Let's hope he develops but isn't forced into playing this year.

Sloppy first scrimmage: no big deal; Bordner forced to fill in at QB: big deal

BC held their first scrimmage Saturday. Predictably, the play was sloppy. Addazio addressed the issue with the media and reprimanded the fumbles and said the team will need to practice tackling. Wisely, he said that he avoided too much tackling last year. However, this team is young and green and needs to work on that aspect.

I am sure things will get better with each scrimmage. They always do.

The one issue that sent off alarms for me was when Austin Tedesco tweeted that Bordner was playing QB. He later clarified that Wade sat out with a hamstring issue and is not expected to miss much time. But flipping Bordner back to QB -- even as just an emergency backup -- is not a good sign. If he is forced into QB duty, it wastes much of the time invested in his transition to WR. Hopefully Murphy and Wade stay healthy and Flutie matures enough to become the emergency guy. Because we need Bordner at WR too. I am optimistic about the offense, but a few injuries could turn the season upsidedown.

Tweets of the Week

ACC Soccer Concepts pic.twitter.com/Qp3t2V4tdN

— Kevin Ives (@AUPPL) August 1, 2014

BC on the road. Photo by @BCAlumni #EaglesAreEverywhere pic.twitter.com/QCr9AEPl2T

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) August 6, 2014

Milano "I Am going to BC" let's gooooooooo wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

— BC Hockey Blog (@bchockeyblog1) August 4, 2014

Don't turn the #IceBucketChallenge into the Harlem Shake. Donate.

— Mark Majewski (@markmajewski) August 7, 2014

Big 5 one step closer to leaving NCAA

The biggest news of the day was the NCAA's decision to allow members of the Big 5 to create a new set of standards for staff, recruiting, academics and of course player compensation. The New York Times has a good breakdown of what it all means. The new guidelines are still vague enough that no one really knows what schools will do. Just assume that all of this will lead to an expanded arms race. If Alabama pays each student $2,000 annually and takes parents to the bowl games, you can be sure that all the other SEC schools will follow. And then all the other Big 5s will follow too. 

This all might seem like a losing proposition for BC with our smaller fanbase and smaller revenue streams, but I actually see a role for us. If the Big 5 really close ranks and only play each other, I think it will create a lot more parity. The bigger programs won't be able to pad win totals with cupcakes. That leads to more pressure to win and more coaching turnover. If we can play close to our historical norm, I think we will be much more stable and have our occasional runs of greatness. 

Reader Rog raised a question about hockey. The majority of hockey schools are not part of the Big 5. If BC and the hockey Big Ten pay, it might make college hockey awfully lopsided. But hockey is not the priority. It will be football first and then what can they do with March Madness.

The Big 5 doesn't provide lifetime membership, so there is always the chance that BC ends up out of the picture down the road. I will take that chance though since this move removes one more layer of hypocrisy.

#IceBucketChallenge wave grows and why I waited

Steve Addazio finally took the #IceBucketChallenge. He's just the latest high-profile member of the BC Community to take part in the viral sensation. BC didn't start the Challenge, but it caught on among Eagles and has raised plenty of awareness and some money in honor of Pete Frates' battle with ALS.

A.J. challenged me a few days ago. I ignored it mostly because I was travelling and there wasn't a good time or location to pull it off. But I also waited because something didn't feel right. I don't know Pete Frates and I haven't given a penny to his struggle. I knew Dick Kelley well and even from afar, was pained to see how he dealt with ALS. I don't considering dumping ice on myself much of a challenge compared to what anyone with ALS faces. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Alex Carpenter tweeted it better than I could:

Instead of just participating in the #IceBucketChallenge let's make sure we are donating to help benefit Pete Frates and #StrikeOutALS!!
— Alex Carpenter (@carpy05) August 7, 2014

I try to avoid telling people what to do with their time or money, but my suggestion is don't let the #icebucketchallenge just be about social media. Give. I don't care if it is to Frates or something ALS related. Give to BC. Give to a local school. Give to a church or hospital. There are thousands of worthy charities out there. Find one that means something to you or your family or your friends. That is how Frates started this. He took the viral challenge and made it his own. Good for him. Now remember that his example is not the ice. It is the money and time. Give what you can. It is what this is all about.

To show that I am not a total party pooper, I did finally take the challenge once I was back in Georgia. I am not challenging anyone specifically. Do whatever you can or want to do, but make sure it is about more than ice. Plenty of good organizations could use your time and money.

Can BC close on their rumored hoops prospects?

Earlier this week a flood of tweets and articles came out regarding Jim Christian's recruits (here, here and here). BC is in play for four elite 2015 prospects: Terance Mann, Donovan Mitchell, Josh Sharma, and Aaron Falzon. Recruiting a bunch of elite guys is an improvement. Getting mentioned by a bunch of elite prospects is an improvement. But none of it matters if Christian's staff doesn't close on a few of these guys.

In fairness to Donahue's recruiting, he was involved with Mann and Falzon. However, in most cases he was looking for certain types of players and often moved off elite guys if BC was getting ignored. That's not the case with the new staff. By all accounts they are bulldogs and are travelling more than their predecessors.

I think Christian will land at least one of these targets. Hopefully one will lead to another. Right now they are selling playing time and the opportunity to bring BC back. "Putting a ______ on the map" is an old trick of every struggling program, but it works.

Landing elite recruits doesn't guarantee anything. Skinner's most coveted class disappointed. Christian will still have to fill out his roster with a few mid-level guys and he will also have to prove that he can develop the talent once it is on campus. But for now we have hope...at least on Twitter.

Sharing disrespect and other links

If I wanted I could fill this blog up with thousands of posts about the media and other fans disrespecting BC Sports. It always feels like everyone is a doubter or a hater. But we are not the only fanbase that feels that way. Look at this post from a Syracuse site that is offended that a few members of the media think BC might be better than the Orange. I guess it is nice knowing we are not alone...it is also nice to know a few people also think we are better than Syracuse.

Day 2 went off without a hitch. The team leaders provided quotes on prep and each other.

BC's first opponent in the Puerto Rico Tip-off will be New Mexico.

This news broke earlier in the week, but Sonny Milano confirmed he's coming to BC and not heading to the NHL or Canadian Juniors yet.

The realities of the new season

BC began practice Monday. I am excited and it seems like the players and coaches are. I am also optimistic, however, that optimism is tempered by BC's key issues: depth and experience. The biggest news related to depth is the departure of James Walsh. He was hardly the linchpin of the season, but his transfer means BC enters the season with just three scholarship QBs in Murphy, Wade and Flutie. Walsh never showed that he could lead a ACC winning team, but I hoped that he would stick around and alleviate the need for Wade to play this year. Now any chance of Wade redshirting is gone. Flutie also had the chance to contribute as a WR. Now he probably needs to focused solely on QB. The team will live or die with Murphy, so pray that he stays healthy.

BC's own twitter recap captured how many new faces are around. Like Addazio, I am not worried about the new faces. While not experienced overall, we do have plenty of experience on the Offensive Line. Those guys can cover a lot of mistakes and issues and get BC through our rough games. The area where lack of depth and experience is most glaring is WR. But once again, Addazio feels good about those guys. They might not be fast or proven, but at least they will be big.

The Coach admitted that you can't learn much from this sort of opener. It is all about gradual improvement. BC will hold some scrimmages in the coming weeks as they prepare for UMass.

The reality for all of us is that we don't know what to expect. For so long we were a predictable program. Now we're not and considering it is only the first day of Year 2, I don't think that is a problem.

Andre makes good first impression

I usually don't care about preseason football, but this was nice. (Gif from the Heights.)

Falzon visits and other links

One of Jim Christian's top recruiting targets was on campus Friday. Falzon is important on many fronts, but I want to land him most because he is local. BC can be successful without Massachusetts players, but it would be nice to change the perception and history locally.

Momah's rust and effort ruined his chances with Philly last year. He's not making the same mistakes this year.

As explained in this article, Jason Swepson drove the initial schedued meeting between BC and Elon. Now that he is gone, they understandably dropped us and added Wake.

BC now has interest in WR prospect Bryce Dixon.

Tweets of the Week

Feast Day of St. Ignatius today. Grateful for our #Jesuits! #SetTheWorldAflame pic.twitter.com/5Zz2c9vG29

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) July 31, 2014

New scoreboards are done at Alumni Stadium. @BCFootballNews reports to camp Sun. #33DaystoKickoff pic.twitter.com/OkAaTD01PB

— Jon Meterparel (@meatstweets) July 28, 2014

2015 G Donovan Mitchell has cut his list to 10. Providence, BC, UNC, Kansas, Louisville, Gtown, Nova, Creighton, Indiana, FSU. #pcbb

— Undercover Friar (@UndercoverFriar) July 31, 2014

Three out of four years I've left media days thinking Steve Addazio is awesome.

— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) July 27, 2014

Saw a guy with a BC hat on the tube in London. I waved like a crazy person, he was not amused. @BostonCollege #EaglesInLondon

— Kristin McAlpin (@Kristin_McA) July 30, 2014

Why the ACC needs to wait on the 9th game

BCI posted two good schedule-related articles Thursday. The first deals with Elon dropping BC from their 2015 schedule. Like Brian, I am not worried about finding an opponent and hopefully we will try a FCS free schedule for a change. The second issue covered was how the ACC-Notre Dame schedule works. Long story short, the ACC continues to bend over backwards for the Irish and BC won't play them that often. The Irish issue leads to a host of other questions, but the biggest remains who will the ACC teams without traditional non-conference rivalries play to fill their power conference requirement? Brian hints at readdressing a 9th game. However, the conference can't do that...at least not for a while.

The 9th ACC game should only be an emergency move. Because other than adding another team, the 9th game is one of the last playing cards the ACC has to reopen its TV deal. Those new ACC games would be new, valuable content to ESPN and our other TV partners.

The other reason to wait on the 9th game is because no one really knows how the playoff selections will work. The ACC -- with its 8-game conference slate, Championship game and challenging non-conference schedules -- may be a manageable path to the playoffs. Why add a 9th game as yet another playoff hurdle? Then and if the selection committee punishes the ACC's conference schedule than the Conference can expand the schedules.

I am not concerned about BC and the ACC's place in the landscape of the Playoff. Once we are good enough, the conferences will finaly know how to get teams into the Dance. For now, let's hope the 2015 scheduling mess finally gets solved.

BC-UMass line and other links

Online betting sites rolled out more of their 2014 odds and bets. BC opened as a 14.5 point favorite against UMass. That seems about right to me. The oddsmakers still don't expect BC to do munch within the division.

ACC Sports cacluted the safest and most pressure filled jobs in the conference. I think BC's tenure average is a little skewed by short tenures for Coughlin, Henning and Jags. In general I think BC is fairly paitent with our coaches. Afterall, we did give Spaz four years.

Women's Soccer released their 2014 schedule.

The best part of the ESPN Carwash was a podcast

Tuesday was Day 2 of the ACC's ESPN Carwarsh. Addazio was part of the group of coaches who made all the rounds at ESPN's Headquarters. The coach talked about replacing QBs and Andre Williams with ESPN Radio, various shows and ESPN writers. But of all the interviews, I think Addazio's session with Ivan Maisel was the best.

They cover the usual stuff and Addazio gets in his toughness cliches, but he also spends a good deal of time explaining how BC became a power running team. He explains why he hasn't visited Stanford and how it pays to be different. Addazio still comes off a passionate and a salesman (especially when compared to some of the other coaches on the podcast), but this was another example to show that he is more than the stereotype.

Things like the Carwash are important and the behind the scenes looks are fun. But I think BC fans should be most excited that we have a coach who has innovated at this level, but also can communicate his vision for the school and how it fits with the team he has.

How many 5th years is too many?

BC's best teams have always been experienced. But in the past most of those classes were made up of rosters that redshirted and developed in Chestnut Hill. For a variety of reasons BC rarely had JUCOs and transfers. With the rise of the post-graduate 5th year transfer, BC finally has a sweet spot to fill in the roster gaps. Addazio grabbed Matt Patchan last year and backfilled the roster this season wtih Tyler Murphy, Ty-Meer Brown, Shakim Phillips, and Ian Silberman. The benefits of 5th years are well discussed: no academic risk, short scholarship commitment, phyical and mental maturity. However, we rarely address the risk associated with the strategy. Addazio needed an influx this year and will probably need more next year, but at what point does BC want to start weaning itself of 5th year transfers?

The biggest challenge posed by depending on 5th years is knowing who and how many are available. BC lucked into Murphy and a lessor extent to Shakim Phillips. Without them we would be starting a freshman at QB and have little depth at WR. Prior relationships with both players helped get them to BC, but both had options and both could have gone elsewhere. Unlike recruiting a high schooler or even a JUCO player, the annual 5th year pool lacks depth. Thinking you can pick up a quality player to fit critical needs is foolish. One day your luck will run out.

The other issue is the holding back scholarships for 5th years. BC has plenty of scholarships right now due to roster imbalance and attrition, but in most years there won't be four spots. BC will have 99% of their scholarships committed early in each recruiting cycle.

I don't know what's ahead for BC recruiting. As the roster turns there should be less need to grab older 5th years. All the players will be Addazio's and he'll be responsible for scholarship distribution.

I applaud Addazio's aggressiveness and creativity. Without them, we wouldn't be as strong a team. I just hope we soon get to the stage where BC has so much talent in house that we don't need to scramble with 5th years.

More opponent previews

As the season nears, USA Today keeps posting more team previews. Since our last update, the site added Pitt and Syracuse breakdowns. As always Paul Myerberg does a great job with these write ups.

Trojan trap and other links

The Big Lead called our game with USC a trap for the Trojans. It makes sense given their new coach, cross-country travel and coming right after Stanford. Even if USC struggles this year, it would still be a huge win for BC and Addazio in Year 2.

Andre Williams got the NYT feautre treament during Giants Training Camp.

Future Eagle Nolan Borgersen is ready for his final high school season.

Other sites covered this earlier in the week, but ESPN noted how strong BC's recruiting efforts have been in Massachusetts.

Tweets of the Week

"We only return 9 starters, so we will be young, but it will be exciting. We're not going to change our identity." @BCCoachAddazio #WeAreBC

— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) July 21, 2014

Congrats on a great career #OnceAnEagle MT @Giants: Chris Snee announces retirement: http://t.co/cZus3SSUr7 #Snee76 pic.twitter.com/ILd44e8wDV

— BC Football News (@BCFootballNews) July 21, 2014

Bailey's waiting for @BostonCollege football to start like… pic.twitter.com/PxyCNLqnJ0 (via @jhiser10)

— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) July 22, 2014

We've seen some great players this July. We are definitely on the right guys! #FutureEagles #WeAreBC #GoEagles #ACC

— Jim Christian (@BCJimChristian) July 19, 2014

2014 Poster

BC released their 2014 promotional poster. It is certainly a change from past years, but I like it. Replacing the action shots and guys in uniform with the Gasson rotunda and the seniors in ties and blazers is different. Plus it reinforces the image and structure that Addazio is selling. These things are more about marketing to future players than current fans but this poster works on both levels.

Analytical love for Matt Ryan and other links

With the cliched talk of "elite" QBs, I feel like I am constantly defending Matt Ryan. The only person who might be a bigger defender of Ryan is Grantland's Bill Barnwell. Barnwell has Ryan in his Top 10 and ahead of Brady, Brees and Eli. I hope the Falcons bounce back this year, but more importantly I hope casual fans start to realize how well Ryan has played the past few years. Kuechly also made Barnwell's Top 25.

Andy Gallik made the Preseason All ACC team.

Earlier in the week EDSBS assigned parts of our galaxy to ACC teams. The BC analogy is probably fair.

Steele Divitto is ready for Jets Training Camp.

Miami is recruiting New England players this cycle.

2014 Preview Questions: How good is the Atlantic Division?

Winston's game-changing Hail Mary.

The ACC Media predicted a 6th place finish for BC. Considering how Carolina-centric the crowd is at the Media Days, our lowely standing is not a surprise. But is BC really that bad? Is the Divison that good?

Florida State returns their Heisman Trophy winning QB and much of the talent that won the National Championship. I think even the most biased BC fan will admit that the 'Noles will be good this season. Clemson lost a lot of their best skill players, but given their recruiting the past five years, I think it is fair to rank them above BC. Transitioning to a new conference could cause problems and they are also replacing lost stars, but Louisville comes into the division with arguably the best offensive coach in the conference. That will be a tough game. But after that, I think there are a series of teams that all have major questions. 

Syracuse -- reason why they might finish below BC. Still relatively young. Tough schedule could hurt momentum. Terrible passing game. We play them at Alumni. 

NC State -- reason why they might finish below BC. Coming off a terrible season. Breaking in a new QB. Still very young. 

Wake Forest -- reason why they might finish below BC. Tough schedule that could torpedo the season. Making major schematic changes from previous staff. Clawson started slow at his previous stops.

I don't know if BC will finish 4th or 7th in the Atlantic. But I don't think the division is loaded. Outside of Florida State every team is flawed. The bottom of the Division is manageble. It is just a matter BC covering our flaws better than our peer programs. 

College Football's MLS ideas and BC

The WSJ posted an interesting article last week on College Football programs looking to the MLS for marketing, game day experience and ticketing ideas. What's interesting to me is that programs that might not have much in common with the MLS are looking for answers in the soccer boom, yet the stadium size and locals markets are so different. BC, however, probably has more in common with an MLS' teams issues than a big SEC school. Our stadium is smaller, we are in an urban setting and we compete with bigger teams.

BC is not mentioned as a team looking to the MLS, but fortunately we are already doing things they recommend. Stadium improvements are the most obvious, but we are also tracking individual student attendence and rewarding loyalty.

What the MLS is also improving the food at the stadium. Food is rarely mentioned as the problem with BC sports. But maybe it is something BC should address. An improved team will always have a greater impact than improved concessions, but it doesn't mean something can't be done.

I rarely go to games so I am always an armchair QB on the issue. But I think that the only way to get Alumni and Conte filled is to make it an experience you cannot get at home. Winning is important, but everything else matters too.

Addazio fired up: Coaches' turn at the ACC Media Day

Day 2 of the ACC Media Days meant it was Addazio's turn to talk. He was his usual passionate, confident self. Media Poll results also came out and the assembled group picked BC to finish 6th in the Division. For the Coach, that is just more motivation.

“It doesn’t sit well with me, I’m not going to sit here and lie to you,’’ Addazio said. “But, I understand that. One season doesn’t mean a lot. I think, if anything else, it’ll fuel the fire. I’ll make sure we’ll talk about that as a football team when we get back.

Addazio didn't say anything ground breaking. He was repeatedly asked about replacing Williams and the new offense. Occasionally during his one on ones, something interesting would pop up, like Swiggert's progress.

Here is the Coach talking about expectations for this season. I like using Charlotte as a goal, but any bowl would be an accomplishment.




OVerall it was an effective day for Addazio and BC. He said the right things and represented BC well.

ACC Media kick off links

Sunday was the players' day to speak with the ACC media. Andy Gallik and Dominique Williams performed well and answered questions in a thoughtful, safe and consistent way. As much as we would love for these guys to be a colorful quote, it is probably best that they have smart but boring answers.

Both players answered plenty of questions about replacing Andre Williams.

As you can see from BC's coverage, there was still fun to be had.

The school also released its updated roster Sunday. The only big news was an official status on Shakim Phillips. BC is also using "GS" as a new listing for 5th year/graduate students. Seeing all the GSs on one page is a reminder that this staff has been very creative in adding depth and patch working their roster.

Getting a look at Tyler Murphy

Considering how dependent we are on him this season, we really don't know much about Tyler Murphy. The Spring Game and his stats tell a bit of the story, but did many BC fans watch much Florida Football last year? Fortunately there are a few Youtube clips that provide a little more insight into Murphy's abilities and his experience in game situations. Obviously Florida ran a different offense from BC's and he was surrounded by different players, but the few glimpses are encouraging. Murphy can certainly create and make something out of nothing. He's also shown that given time, he can make pocket passes. Take a look at this series.

This is his first TD.

As you can see, his first instinct is to run. 

This one is not exclusively focused on Murphy, but in it you get to see him throw from the pocket and run.

Here is another set that is not exclusively Murphy but includes more passes.

Does a couple of games in the SEC mean that Murphy will hit the ground running this Fall? Unlikely. But that limited experience is still valuable. He's used to the speed and different defensive looks. Plus Murphy showed that his basics are strong enough to execute our offense. He can throw and he can run. Let's hope he does a lot this season for BC.

Tweets of the Week

New north endzone video board being hung today. Exciting stuff! #wearebc pic.twitter.com/6yilet1BOA

— Brad Bates (@BCBradBates) July 17, 2014

That is awesome. Congrats! “@paulschiavone: Eagles on the marriage path! #ForBoston #BC cc @BCAlumni pic.twitter.com/8pePvNQUn7”

— A.J. Black (@BCHysteria) July 17, 2014

Just for the record, all this talk about @BCBirdBall building a new facility...been talked about for 11 years and no progress

— Da Foles (@BFoley82) July 16, 2014

"Your meaningless 3rd-place game is so dumb, why bother?" - America, right before watching the Little Caesars Bowl

— Sean Keeley (@NunesMagician) July 12, 2014

Foster joins Baseball (officially) and other links

After weeks of rumor and speculation, BC finally confirmed that Jim Foster joined the Baseball staff. I will stick by my initial reaction that this was a good hire and a surprising career move for Foster. I hope big things are ahead or he has a deal to take over if they don't. Gambino needs his steady hand, especially now that Chin is gone.

Syracuse.com's preview of BC is very complimentary to Addazio. After going from Spaz to Daz, I think most BC fans agree that coaching matters.

Reports out of Green Bay still predict Rettig will be a Practice Squad guy.

ACC Hotseats

In his latest Mailbag, Stewart Mandel listed the college football coaches most likely to get fired. Former BC staffer and current Virginia Head Coach is No. 2 on the list.  London's ties to BC are deep (TOB is his OC and Spaz's son is walking on this fall). He was also a candidate for the BC job after Gene fired Jags. I preferred him to Spaz at the time, but it looks like he would have struggled at BC too. But London's situation is a reminder that more coaching changes are coming to the conference. They always do. And if we are holding steady with Addazio, coaching changes can be good things for BC.

Fired coaches usually mean a few things. The first is a bad season. Bad seasons from other ACC teams are good things for BC. It opens up bowl slots and can lead to easy wins. A fired coach can also mean a rebuild. Rebuild often lead to more bad seasons. Of course there is always the chance of a quick turnaround, but I expect Wake to struggle this year and it looks like NC State will still be rebuilding under their second year coach.

The majority of ACC coaches are safe. Fisher can do whatever he wants at FSU. Swinney still has good will from his most recent run (but he's got to start beating South Carolina). Duke and Pitt might have ceilings with their current coaches, but their respective consistency makes them safe. Syracuse, Louisville, Wake and UNC have enough invested in their current coaches, that changes are unlikely this season. I think Golden is safe but he's always a candidate for another job. Beamer is safe too, but his transition to retirement is looming.

The only other ACC Coach to truly join London on the Hotseat is Paul Johnson. I like Johnson and think Tech should hang on to him, but he's rubbed enough people the wrong way over the years that his goodwill might run out. There is also the perception among a group of their fans that his offense will never lead to a National Championship.

Virginia and Georgia Tech are not in division, so a shakeup at either place doesn't benefit BC directly. However, we recruit similar types of players and have moved recruiting deeper into both states under Addazio. If either coach gets fired, BC should be able to poach a reluctant recruit or two.

I am glad BC is out of the Hotseat circle for at least another year. Who knows? Maybe Addazio will be a winner and a lifer. For now, I just hope he takes advantage of the chaos at other programs.

Burke's story and other links

Sean Burke is the latest walk-on to earn a scholarship. BC has a long tradition of rewarding walk-ons, but handing them out now is telling. Using open scholarships probably means the staff is no longer expecting any other random 5th year transfers to arise. As for Burke, I am glad his commitment was rewarded. I hope he has a good year.

Women's Tennis sophomore Lexi Borr won the ITA Circuit Tournament Monday.

ESPN's David Hale thinks Josh Bordner is one of the ACC's Wild Cards. I know the staff was very big on Bordner's potential in the Spring. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up in August when there is a full depth chart at WR.

Suggestion to the ACC: move the ACC Media Days to Bristol, CT

If you follow any of the national college football writers on social media, then you know the SEC kicked off its annual Media Days on Monday. There were streams, cut-ins to other ESPN shows, clips, and plenty of pundit talk. This comes as no surprise since ESPN partners with the SEC on their new network. Because they have the most rabid following and a bunch of colorful coaches, the SEC has turned a series of press conferences into an event. All the other conferences are just playing catch up. The ACC has tried various ploys to get more attention, but I think there is only one move left: move the Media Days to ESPN's Corporate Campus.

While Bristol is not ideal for non-ESPN employees and doesn't offer the boondoggle aspects of most of the traditional ACC Media Days locations, it does offer a bonanza of coverage. If ESPN hosted the event it would make their "car wash" sessions seem quaint. Coaches and players could be on all ESPN outlets all day for three days. The rest of the media might not like it, but who cares? As long as the recruits see the ACC schools as elite and as long as ESPN becomes that much more invested in talking and promoting the ACC. 

I don't know if this has ever been floated, but it should. The ACC has nothing to lose. They can always go back to Amelia or Pinehurst or wherever. But having Media Days at the center of the sports world makes too much sense not to try. It is what a smart, ambitious, forward thinking conference would do. It is what the SEC would do and that should be enough to beat them to Bristol.  

Baseball change rumors and other links

Soaring to Glory and the College Baseball Daily are reporting the URI Head Baseball coach Jim Foster is expected to join Mike Gambino's staff at BC. It is an interesting move on a couple of fronts. Gambino gets a much needed, veteran adviser. However, even coming off a losing season, it is surprising that Foster would leave URI to work with a coach on the hot seat. I am sure BC paid Foster well and will get paid even if Gambino gets fired.

Herzy's fundraiser last week was a success. Thank you to those who supported the event.

BC's win over/under is 4.5.

Fitzgerald's summer and other links

Ryan Fitzgerald is playing well in the Bruins Developmental Camp. The article speculates that BC might move him back to Center from Wing.

In case you missed it, Andy Gallik and Dominique Williams will represent BC at the ACC Media Days next week. Gallik is expected. Williams is somewhat of a surprise. But having him there is a good sign. It means the staff expects him to have a strong season.

Interest is heating up in BC target, Donovan Mitchell. Louisville is the latest to offer the 2015 guard.

Tweets of the Week

None of the 14 schools go w/a vaunted o-lineman/d-lineman combo that results in empty tables. Or, as I like to call it, the "Boston College"

— Patrick Stevens (@D1scourse) July 10, 2014

Lolololololllllllll RT @RandyEdsall: "Work until your idols become your rivals "_ Drake

— TEDDY GOOALSEVELT (@edsbs) July 5, 2014

Stairs on vacation. #NoTraffic #BCsummer (photo by @theBCbeat) pic.twitter.com/Dq00D6Lc3k

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) July 10, 2014

Boston College improved by leaps and bounds in year 1 under Steve Addazio. What is in store in year 2? #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/rQvX5CfE9a

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) July 7, 2014

2014 Preview Questions: Is Steven Daniels the best player on Defense?

With all the "Dude" talk and Heisman hype, no one really mentioned that Steven Daniels had a great season. He was active. He was versatile and he was our best tackler. When Daniels got near someone he brought them down. When watching the games back, rarely did he miss a tackler and no one shook him off. He finished the year with 88 tackles (3rd best on the team). This season -- with so few impact players returning on defense -- might be Daniels' time to shine. He will either get swallowed up by the void left in the linebacking corp or take over and dominate.

Daniels' road to the Heights was lined with a few pot holes. He was supposed to be the next great St. X recruit. However, he spent a year Worcester shoring up his academics. Meanwhile the greatest St. X-BC player in school history, Luke Kuechly, was rewriting the record book at Daniels' position of Linebacker. Could anyone fill Kuechly's shoes? Daniels first season was okay but didn't project for his explosion as a sophomore. Last year he finally showed glimpses that he could live up to the St. X legacy.

I don't know how Brown will use Daniels this year. Daniels has enough speed to be used more often in blitz packages. But he can also be used to cover the space left open by other guys rushing. Either way I think he's going to be a difference maker.

"Smart" Schedule, Take 2

Last season Steve Donahue put together one of the most aggressive basketball schedules in the country. Instead of gaming the RPI (as intended) it blew up, crushed the team and led to Donahue's departure. As always when things don't end well in sports, the new guy usually does things differently from his predecessor. Jim Christian is no different as BC released its 2014-15 non-conference basketball schedule and it is very different from last year and very manageable.

The team plays traditional regional rivals like Harvard, UMass and Providence and the backend of the USC agreement, but everyone else is a middling Mid Major. The team is also committed to the Puerto Rico Tip-off. If the team overachieves and makes a run at the bubble, that tournament will be their best chance to impress the selection committee and the computers.

I don't know what to expect yet from this team, but the schedule should give them a better start than last year's. Six of these games are easy wins and the Harvard, UMass and PC games are all winnable. There will always be concern from ticket holders about the game times or lack of appealing opponents, but that shouldn't be the focus in Year 1. Now we need to win and this schedule is the first step.

Recruiting roundup (football and basketball)

Don Bosco star Daivon Ellison narrowed his list and BC made his final four.

BC was the first to offer 2016 Arizona QB prospect Mason Moran. We offered as a QB but some think he might be a a good defensive prospect.

In basketball news, BC is making a major push for guard Donovan Mitchell. He plays for Brewster and was considered a Providence lean prior to BC's push.

Phillips says he's coming back

BC can't talk about it until he's on campus and enrolled, but Shakim Phillips says he is coming back to the Heights.

ICYMI: Spoke with WR Shakim Phillips last night, confirming his return to #BC for his final year of eligibility
— Rich Cirminiello (@RichCirminiello) June 26, 2014

Of course this has been long rumored and highly dependent on Shakim wrapping up his UConn degree this summer. All the various summer sessions at UConn conclude in July and August. As soon as he has his degree, he is eligible for practice at BC.

Gorman pitching well in Cape League and other links

John Gorman is back in the bullpen during this Cape Cod League season. The good news is that he is playing well enough to earn a full roster spot.

Soaring to Glory moved their profile series to key RB Marcus Outlow.

If you're looking for a BC angle at the ESPYs, how about Johnny Gaudreau potentially winning top male college athlete.

Basketball looking at late bloomer and other links

Connecticut big man Steve Enoch does not have a BC offer yet, but we are one of the many big programs now taking notice. Enoch's growth spurt and good summer showing have helped his standings. Enoch is a 2015 recruit.

Before the holiday, Florida DE Wyatt Ray committed to Addazio. Hopefully a signing like this will open up a recruiting pipeline with his high school traditional Catholic power St. Thomas Aquinas. Ray is big but might be able to play LB at BC.

The ACC named BC runner to Danielle Winslow to its All Academic team.

Happy 4th of July

Tweets of the Week

A MUST READ: @PeteFrates3 describes his journey with ALS and hopes for the future of the disease. #StrikeoutALS http://t.co/F1JU2kiQOg

— BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) July 2, 2014

What an experience it was playing in a World Cup! Thanks America & fans for believing! Blessed to be a part of this team #USMNT! #1N1T #USA

— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) July 2, 2014

This Jason Kidd thing has a Boston College/Jeff Jagodzinski feeling about it. That worked out so well for both.

— Tyler Dawgden (@TylerDawgden) June 29, 2014

Sooo..... @Panthers LB Luke Kuechly throws a medicine ball like its a basketball pic.twitter.com/Z6tVnLw1ph

— Chelsa Messinger (@ChelsaMessinger) July 3, 2014