BC-Maine preview

A must win against Maine. Who would have thought? BC is a heavy favorite, so there is no sense of dread heading into the game. But BC can't lose. If they do, that says more than enough about this team and this coaching staff.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)

This biggest news of the week for BC football was the report that the the power football schools don't want to break away from the NCAA. Don't worry, it wasn't altruism. The report stated that the cost and infrastructure to break away would be too expensive. This means the ACC stays alive and BC conceviably has access to the playoff. However, there are still plenty of legal barriers regarding paying players as well as more conferences shuffles ahead. This is never over, but it looks like BC and the ACC will have a place at the table for another couple of years.

Three Simple Keys

1. Jurk going through his progressions. As much heat as the OLine has been getting, I am so disappointed in the Jurkovic-McNulty combination. They need to find plays they both like, that work and that Jurk can work through his options vs just forcing it in.

2. Defensive turnovers. This team needs to start ball hawking. It will help this game and hopefully set the tone for the rest of the season.

3. Better returns in the punt coverage. We are losing a lot of yards by letting the ball roll. BC needs to get more positive yards in the punt return team.

Gambling Notes

-- BC is 0-2 against the spread this season
-- BC has won six straight in the series
-- BC has not lost to an FCS team since 1978

The current line is BC-24.5

Factoid
Maine has four victories over FBS teams.

Scoreboard Watching
Not a great weekend for ACC matchups. It will be interesting to see how NC State handles Texas Tech. I am not a big fan of NC State, but this sort of win would be big for them. 

What I hope to see…
No one get hurt. The UMass game last year changed the course of the season. Let's get through this one unscathed.

BC is in trouble if…
We can’t protect against Maine. I know it is still early in the season and how the Oline plays now vs later in the season won't be the same, but on raw talent and size, we can't let Maine push us around.

Bottom Line
Despite all the hand wringing after last week, I am not worried about this week. If we can’t score on this team, then give up on the whole season.
Final: BC 35, Maine 13