Thoughts on the Football schedule

The ACC released its football schedules and there were a few surprises for BC. Here is the schedule.

Sep. 3 -- Georgia Tech (Dublin)
Sep. 10 -- at UMass (Foxborough)
Sep. 17 -- at Virginia Tech
Sep. 24 -- Wagner
Oct. 1 -- Buffalo
Oct. 7 -- Clemson
Oct. 22 -- Syracuse
Oct. 29 -- at NC State
Nov. 5 -- Louisville
Nov. 11 -- at Florida State
Nov. 19 -- UConn
Nov. 26 -- at Wake Forest

Friday Night Lights
BC has ESPN to thank for two Friday night games. Contractually the ACC owes ESPN Friday night games and BC proved to be a good host when playing a top team last year. The ratings were good and the BC-centric SportsCenter was a nice touch. I expect BC and ESPN will do the same thing when Clemson comes to town. As for being the road team in a Friday game later in the season, that is probably a compromise between the ACC, FSU and ESPN. The 'Noles probably did not want to waste a marquis game on Friday night and ESPN probably wanted a decent TV draw. This is not going away, so I hope BC starts to make a thing out of hosting and playing in these games.

I hate moving the Syracuse game
This was supposed to be a Thanksgiving Weekend tradition. Since its inception one or both teams have been bad and the games have lacked any sizzle. By playing earlier in the year, perhaps both teams will still be in contention and the students will be on campus. But I don't think moving it really helps either team. The way to make fans care is to turn it into a real tradition. Very few things are consistent about BC Football year to year. While forced, I think ending the season with Syracuse every year was a step in the right direction.

This schedule lends itself to a bounce back year
BC had plenty of bad luck last year, but you cannot ignore a winless conference slate. Given how bad the team was, I can't call any game a lock. Yet looking at that schedule, you see how things can get better next year. The non-conference schedule is very easy. BC gets plenty of time to prepare for Georgia Tech's unique offense. Moving Syracuse and playing UConn late means that there are winnable games spread throughout the year.

BC-Florida State preview

When expectations for a season are relatively low (like this year), one game doesn't make or break anything. But a win Friday would go a long way with to validating Addazio and Bates' approach to the season. I cannot recall any BC season where we knew so little about the team after two games. I think BC matches up well against Florida State, but how can any of us truly know after Maine and Howard? The good news is we will find out how good the team is one way or another Friday night.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
I may be the only one out there, but I love Friday night games. I rarely go to games in person so getting to Chestnut Hill is a non-issue. My Saturdays are filled with more and more youth sports, so I am seeing fewer BC games uninterrupted live. Saturday nights are okay, but like Saturday days, our family social calendar and commitments keep growing. Now of course this will probably all change when my kids start playing sports on Friday nights, but for now, I am golden! For readers without kids, one day you will understand.

 Three Simple Keys
1. Get lots of pressure on Golson. Florida State fans are attributing Golson's propensity for turnovers on Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Offense. I think he will revert to his old form, if we rattle him.
2. Don't get burned on the big play. I don't think we can win a shootout, so BC needs to keep FSU from scoring quickly and in bunches. Especially on deep balls.
3. Redzone scoring. BC was so desperate for scoring last year, that we tried the pass-back to Murphy. Our kicking game doesn't seem improved, so we will have to rely on pounding the ball in until we score.

Gambling Notes
-- BC hasn't started 3-0 since 2007
-- BC has lost five straight to Florida State
-- Addazio is 8-8 in ACC games
The current line is BC+7

Factoid
This is Golson's second start at Alumni. He guided Notre Dame to a 21-6 win over BC in 2012.

Scoreboard Watching
We can't control who our opponents schedule the week before they play us, but I love that Northern Illinois is playing Ohio State this week. We don't compare to the Buckeyes' talent, but there are plenty of similarities in our offensive and defensive approaches. Our coaches will be able to learn a lot from the tape and should understand how to attack the Huskies.

I hope to see...
More than 40,000 people at the game. We know all the obstacles and issues around attendance, but BC made a big marketing push late. Let's hope that was enough to make the Stadium seem full.

BC is in trouble if...
If Wade doesn't have time to make throws. I've been impressed with Wade's accuracy and arm. But we have no idea what he's like against real competition. If Florida State overwhelms our Offensive Line and has Wade flustered, I don't think Wade's accuracy is going to matter.

Bottom Line
Despite the spread and our cupcakes schedule, I have plenty of confidence in BC's chances. I think the Defense makes some big stops in the first half as BC builds a lead. I think the Offense stalls out a bit in the second, as the 'Noles make a comeback, but BC hangs on in the end.
Final Score: BC 20, Florida State 17

BC pulling out all the stops for Friday night

The NFL killed the importance of College Football's Thursday Night Games. ESPN -- with the help of conference partners like the ACC -- is trying to turn Friday Night into the new event. BC bought in early, agreeing to be part of Friday night games contractually. And now the school is going all out as host of this Friday Night's game against Florida State.

-- First (as speculated) BC will wear their red bandanna inspired uniforms. BC will also hand out red bandannas to the first 25,000 fans in attendance. 

-- The 6 PM ET SportsCenter will focus on the game and have at least one ESPN reporter outside of Gate E. I have no idea if this will be a set with a stage or just one reporter with a camera crew. Regardless, all you students, makes signs, make noise and get on TV. We are unlikely to get GameDay this year, so this is it. BC clever and be respectful. Earlier in the day First Take will broadcast live from Gasson. Make noise there too. [Update: First Take cancelled]

-- Tim and Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be honored during the game.

-- Finally, TOB and members of the 2005 team will also be honored. This will be TOB's first football game in Alumni since his retirement. I will be very interested to hear the crowd reaction.

Of course, this being a Friday night game and with a significant portion of our fanbase in the New York area, attendance will be an issue. While the last-minute marketing might add a few thousand more people, I don't expect a sellout. But doing all this for a Friday Night Game is good long-term planning. Make all Friday Night Games an event. Then when people see the schedule months in advance they will make an effort to get back to Boston just for a Friday game. 

Friday is the new Thursday

Thursday night games were an honor. Friday night games are a chore. That seems to be an undercurrent among BC fans...even among those who commute to games from outside of New England. But Virginia Tech's decision to beg off of a Thursday night in 2013 is the surest sign that Thursday night games are now devalued across college football.

VT explained their desire to not host a Thursday game was the pain it caused their fan base and the logistics on campus. I don't know if I totally buy that. The Hokies never seem to have a problem filling the stands on a Thursday. My suspicion is now that the NFL plays weekly on Thursday, the game is less of a recruiting tool and less popular with fans. The TV ratings also reflect that the time slot has lost its luster.

That is why I am glad to see BC embrace the Friday option. Unlike Thursday, the ratings for the Friday games continue to grow. And playing in New England means we are not disrupting many high school football games, like Friday night games would in other parts of the country.

I am not a season ticket holder, so it is easy for me to overlook the commuting factor, but I would have to imagine a Friday night game is easier for people south of Connecticut too. The drive might take a little longer but showing up for work on the next day is no longer an issue.

I think we will learn to love the Friday game. I also think it will have a positive effect on marketing the program. BC won't have all that many chances at the spotlight over the next two years. We need to make the most of them.

What the ACC's new TV deal means

The ACC and ESPN announced a revised TV deal today. It extends and enriches the current deal until 2027. This was overdue since the market has shifted in the two years since the ACC and ESPN last signed. In 2010, the ACC's deal was second only to the SEC. Since then the Big Ten and Pac 12 received monster deals and the Big 12 is also expected to sign a huge deal. One of the big reasons the Conference added Syracuse and Pitt was to trigger a clause that allowed for renegotiation. Under the new deal each team will receive $17 million annually. Here are the big (and somewhat expected) changes:

Friday Night Lights I've been saying for a long time that this was coming. Not only will the ACC be playing on Friday nights, but BC will be at the center piece of this. Why? Because it makes too much sense not to play in those games. The WAC and Big East have been playing on Fridays for at least five years now and getting big ratings. With the NFL invading Thursdays and with the Pac 12 and SEC willing to play on Thursdays, Friday is now one of the lone spots where the ACC can get true national attention. The argument against playing Fridays is that the coaches lose a chance to watch high school games and that it is tough to fill your stadiums. I think the branding tradeoff is worth it for BC. Maybe we can even turn Friday nights into events and extend tailgating hours.

Under the deal, BC will host a game annually on a Friday. Syracuse will also host a annual Friday game too. Plus the conference committed an annual game on the Friday after Thanksgiving. So in some years BC could be playing in as many as three Friday games (at home, at Syracuse and at another ACC team on Thanksgiving weekend).

18-game basketball schedule The ACC already announced this plan, but now ESPN is officially paying a premium for the extra two conference games. The extra games help our wallet and RPI ratings but hurt scheduling flexibility. We will see fewer non-conference games.

A place at the table This is not in the contract but implied in the deal. Right now the ACC is the only major conference that has all of its media rights tied to ESPN. ESPN will be a driving factor in the evolving bowl and playoff scenarios. There is no way they are going to devalue all this ACC inventory by have the ACC shunned from the championships. If automatic qualifiers are part of the playoff, the ACC will be included.

I would prefer that the ACC had its own outlet like the other conferences. Being so aligned with ESPN limits some cool opportunities, but it is a great insurance policy. This deal offers short-term cash and stability and will probably be adjusted within the next five years.