BC-Mizzou preview

College Gameday will probably only mention this game in passing, but don't be mistaken. It is huge. Or at least huge for BC (and BC fans). Winning this game will lead to BC being ranked going into Clemson. It will mean a 4-0 non-conference record, which will likely lead to a strong final record. But a win would also mean that given time, Hafley can prep for a big non-conference game and win with his back-up QB and as a home underdog. Good teams and great coaches win games like this.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
There is always a bit of disconnect between the moods and perceptions of the casual BC fan, the casual college sports fan and the diehard BC football fan. (If you are reading this, you probably are closer to the diehard category.) To those who don't follow closely, the good start and the Grosel story are fun and nice to sees. To the more engaged fan, we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop. Is Hafley for real? Is Grosel going to be good or revert back to his previous form? So you come to a game like this weekend and the casual fan is sort of paying attention while the diehard is putting a lot more weight into the outcome. This happens with many BC events and sports. I don't know how you bridge the divide or if you should. Do the casual fans need to "get in" if you will? Do the diehards need to chill out? I don't know. Whether it is BC sports or even BC issues in general, the only real change comes is when there is consensus and everyone feels the same. 

Three Simple Keys

1. Don't force things downfield. I know that going conservative takes away some of our best weapons, but I don't trust us to force it with Grosel. His passes should be timing, shorter and often off of play action.

2. Control the line of scrimmage on Offense.  The Oline has been a bit inconsistent so far this season. One drive they look great and the next play things are a mess. To win this weekend, they need to play to their reputation and ability and control early.

3. Avoid costly penalties. BC ultimately held Temple in check but that doesn't mean there weren't plenty of stupid penalties. Many of them were drive extenders. That can't happen this week.

Gambling Notes

-- Drinkwitz is 2-1 in non-conference games

-- Mizzou is 5-4 vs the ACC

-- BC is 14-20-1 vs the SEC 

The current line is BC+1.5

Factoid

As you will probably hear once or twice this weekend, this is the first meeting of the two schools. With this game, BC will have played 11 of the current 14 members of the SEC.

Scoreboard Watching

The ACC is off to a horrible start so it makes sense that it happens when Wake is trending up! The Deacons play UVA this weekend. Like our game against Missouri, this will be a test if Wake is for real.

I hope to see...

A big crowd at kickoff. With the vaccine screening, BC knows there will be long lines and has sent out a message to get your bracelet early and get to your seats on time. I hope the fans follow the recommendations.

BC is in trouble if...

We don't make the Tigers pay for stacking the box. I have a feeling this will look like an Addazio game. The key for BC will be play action passing into a crowded box. Guys should be open.

Bottom Line

I don't have a great feeling going into this game. I will still pick BC to win, but think it will be very close. I think a defensive or special teams TD will be the difference.

Final Score: BC 24, Mizzou 17

Mizzou game moved to KC for some reason

Missouri's 2024 game against BC won't be on-campus in Columbia. Instead it will be at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. This doesn't really impact any current player (or likely coaches) or even current BC fan. If anything, moving the game to Kansas City makes travel a little easier. This makes sense for BC, but I still don't understand why Mizzou wants to move this game to Arrowhead.

According to this article, the last Mizzou Arrowhead game was a financial disappointment. The Tigers played BYU and only 42,000 showed up. Is BC going to be that much better of a draw in seven years? We know BC fans won't buy a ton of tickets. If this is a make good to Arrowhead (as the article implies) why are they making good on a game nine years after the first problem? Should a make good come a little sooner?

My guess is Missouri doesn't want to move any conference games to a big, relatively neutral area where other schools might recruit. I also assume they don't want to move any cupcakes to a big stadium they can't fill. They probably don't want to lose homefield advantage against any other Power 5s that agreed to a home and home. BC is probably viewed as respectable enough draw without being a recruiting threat nor a team where they need a huge homefield advantage. 

What does BC get out of it? Maybe a slightly higher guarantee and perhaps slightly lower travel costs. In the end, this is probably good news for BC. We just have to wait seven years for it to come to fruition.