In college football every game is a must win. Lose to a MAC school and fans start tossing around the letters “W”, “T”, and “F.” Lose to the Miamis or Florida States and the media starts chiming in that BC cannot battle the big boys. The reality is that Jags won’t win them all. However there are four games that are pretty vital to a successful 2007 season and building a bond with BC fans. In my opinion these are the four must wins in their order of importance. Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section.
1. NC State. Jags must win this game. Although we’ll play NC State every year, winning the first time will have the most significance. It will be TOB’s return to the Heights. It's Jags second game as a head coach. It will be our experienced team against their rebuilding model. Knowing TOB, I expect him to place a huge emphasis on this game and pull out all the stops to win it. He’s trying to prove something and NC State will be ready. If BC loses this game, Jags will be in a big hole with the fans and Gene and Jags will start hearing whispers that the wrong guy is coaching the Eagles.
2. Notre Dame. I’ve been critical of the BC fans who only care about Notre Dame. The forced break in the schedule the past two seasons has been a godsend as those fans came to realize there is more to college football than the Irish. Even with this change in attitude, this game will go a long way with the majority of BC supporters. Win this game and everything tastes sweeter, the sky is bluer, etc. Like the TOB/NC State game, Jags is facing the Irish at the right time. They are in rebuilding mode and BC could be favored come game time.
3. The bowl game. The bowl win streak became a major crutch for BC sports information and for TOB. The streak is filled with mid-major afterthoughts played in less than desirable locations. Regardless of the ignominious past, you don’t want to be the guy who ends the streak. BC prepped for bowl games well under TOB. Jags will be expected to do the same. Look out for the sharks if we don't make a bowl.
4. Wake Forest. The first win is the hardest. The last BC coach to win his first game was Jack Bicknell in 1981. Adding importance to this game, BC takes on the defending ACC champs in the opener. Winning here would help propel the team into the TOB game and provide a good path back to the postseason. And hopefully it will put to wrest Jim Grobe’s ability to ruin BC fans’ weekends.
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7 comments:
I don't necessarily agree with your bowl game importance. The streak is important, and great, but I think I would rather see us have to play up against a difficult team in a BCS bowl, than an easy win against a joke mediocre squad.
I think there's a gap between games the team needs to win to be successful and games a more casual fan would like to see BC win.
I think Wake Forest is far and away the most important game of the year. We cannot lose games in division; we particularly cannot lose them at home; and we really can't start off that horrid 3-game stretch with a loss. Facing TOB, after having lost, with the whole season riding on that game plus all the TOB-related garbage? That is NOT a pretty scenario.
I also think the guys on the field will take care of the NC State game, regardless of how much TOB wants it or how many stops he pulls out. Who did you trust more over the past 7 years--Bible or Spaz? I think we have the right guy in that matchup.
I don't see how the ND is important at all. Beeting them, other than getting BC closer to Bowling, amounts to nothing other than bragging rights. Any ACC victory is 1000x more important. Going 10-2 with an ND loss gets BC to Jacksonville. Going 8-4 with an ND victory gets BC to San Fran.
Hey, does anyone know if there is a coverage map that has been released for the BC Wake Forest game? I'm scared that out here on the west coast we may not get the game because Washington State is playing also.
I agree that Wake is probably the most important game. Everything flutie22phelan20 said I couldn't agree more with. It will be a critcal game in the ACC Atlantic race, but also would be a great boost of confidence for Jags and the coaching staff knowing they beat Jim Grobe and the Deacs when TOB struggled against them.
On a personal note being from Maryland, beating the Terps would be one of the most important games for me. But since the Eagles are 19-0 in games I have attended (100 percent true I kid you not) I am just concerend with the games I won't be attending this year-Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Clemson.
I agree with you that Wake Forest and NC State will be extremely important, but have to disagree on the importance of the Notre Dame game and the bowl game.
In my opinion, you have to put Florida State and @ Clemson in the top 4 most important games. You have to get it done within the division if we have any hopes of playing in the ACC championship and bowling in January. FSU looks solid and Clemson still has a bitter taste in their mouth from consecutive OT Eagle victories the past two seasons. Not to mention Death Valley is a tough place to play (I would say its even louder and more hostile than State College).
Dropping to Virginia Tech and/or Miami is far less damaging to our bowl/ACC championship hopes than losing to anyone in-division.
While a victory in South Bend will pull favor with the alumni and the fans, it really will not be as significant a victory as in years past. Notre Dame has a young team and a very tough, front-loaded schedule. It's very possible they drop to Georgia Tech, @ Michigan and @ UCLA to be 3-3 going into the BC game.
And the bowl streak doesn't mean as much as the media makes it out to be given:
1) we have played opponents below our skill level
2) in locations far, far away from Chestnut Hill
3) in December.
If you lose in a BCS game or in a better bowl than we have been in in years past, we still get paid. By this point in the season, if Jags takes us to a better bowl than TOB ever did, it won't matter whether he wins to continue the streak. He will have gotten the job done.
Revised importance list:
1. Wake Forest
2. NC State
3. @ Clemson
4. Florida State
Great site!
Although I disagreed at first, I thought about it and changed my mind. The NC State game probably is most important because the coaches, the players, Gene and the fans will finally be able to put the TOB story to bed with a W. Lose that game and it's an uphill climb the rest of the season to win back the fans and the media, which is a lot to ask with this schedule.
I also think Wake is a close #2, given the history of this rivalry and the fact that they're the defending conference champs. A W would have BC fans flying high the rest of the weekend.
I think FSU is #3. If BC is serious about taking it to the next level, they win this game at home, especially with it becoming the unofficial homecoming game. Everyone and their mother is flying into Boston for this one.
Although it pains me, I have to put ND on the list at #4, only because they're the only legitimate non-conference foe on the schedule and BC needs to represent the ACC well and win this one. The national media is down on the conference and BC needs to do their part to help change that.
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