Jeff Hafley worked for Greg Schiano at Rutgers and in Tampa and the Rutgers coach still thinks highly of our coach. Schiano also had good things to say about the other numerous staffers who spent time under him.
The coaching world is pretty small, but this week the connections are a little more significant than usual. Does that translate into a strategic advantage for either side? Probably not. I think our talent and roster will be the bigger difference this week.
No best and worst case scenarios this year. Just straight up picks. I am very high on this year's team and season. Outside of the raw, thin and inexperienced OLine, most of the pieces are in place. Hafley/Lukabu have yet to field a dominant D, but improved greatly from Year 1 to Year 2. A similar progression this year would mean a Top 40 defensive unit. Do I worry about a new OC? Not really. When McNulty has above average talent he can produce. It all comes down to Phil Jurkovec. If he stays healthy, he and BC will have a huge, memorable year.
I also think our schedule is manageable and friendly. In my opinion, we start with five wins (Rutgers, UConn, Maine, Duke and Syracuse). Even going 3-4 in the remaining games gives Hafley a better season than we've had in 13 years! I think we can do better than that. I've been doing this long enough to know we will still have a painful loss or two in the mix. But this is how I think it plays out.
Season Prediction
Rutgers -- Sept. 3: Win. Great way to start the season. A Power 5 game that pads the win total and gives us confidence for the season.
at Virginia Tech -- Sept. 10: Win. Probably the most pivotal game of the season. I don't think much of VT, but still know enough that a road win at Lane in Week 2 would be a big accomplishment.
Maine -- Sept. 17: Win. Another gimme.
at Florida State -- Sept. 24: Win. This is a winnable game. Probably a bit of a shootout, but no reason we can't take them.
Louisville -- Oct. 1: Win. At this point I see the D coming into its own. We win this and we are ranked.
Clemson -- Oct 8: Win. Now things are getting serious. Jurk gets a ton of press. Hafley is the next college football head coaching star, etc.
at Wake Forest -- Oct. 22: Loss. If you are a BC fan reading this, you know we would follow a huge win with a gut punch loss. (I think we split the Clemson-Wake games. It is more BCish that we finally beat Clemson only to fall to Wake during one of their upswings.)
at UConn -- Oct. 29: Win. Great scheduling break here.
Duke -- Nov. 4: Win. Ranked again.
at NC State -- Nov. 12: Loss. (Like the Clemson/Wake portion of the schedule, I think we split NC State/ND...and it would be fitting to finally beat the Irish again after a tough loss to NC State.)
at Notre Dame -- Nov. 19: Win. The BC bandwagon would feel like it is 1993!
Syracuse -- Nov. 26: Win. No letdowns this year.
Yes, I just predicted a 10-2 season. A lot would have to go our way, but I feel like this is in the mix. 10-2 (6-2 in the ACC) probably keeps us out of the ACC Championship game but forces us into a decent bowl. We've never been shipped to the Sun Bowl, so I think it would finally be our turn. My guess is we play someone like Oregon State. We win and finish 11-2 and just outside the Top 10. Hafley would certainly be plucked by someone, but it would be a fun, memorable season.
While I don't believe Jeff Hafley is on any sort of hot seat, I do think this year will tell us if he is going to be great or just good. Year 3 tends to set the tone at BC.
I like Jeff Hafley and still think he will be special. His first season he managed COVID, the roster and his schedule well. Last year was more disappointing. He mismanaged the QB situation which led to the team underachieving. This year, if he is special, there should be no excuses. This is his roster. He has tweaked his staff. The schedule is manageable. By Year 3 most great coaches are on their way because they've worked out the kinks, have things lined up and have their players in place. Look at the third year of past BC coaches since WWII:
BC Coaches in their Third Year
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