BC leveraging Big Ten friends to tag along at satellite cmapes

Once the NCAA overturned their ban on satellite camps, it didn't take long for the Big Ten powers to reschedule them. While the ACC, as a conference, is still against satellite camps, BC is taking the right kind of baby steps. Instead of making a splash and spending money hosting our first satellite camps, BC is joining friendly programs at their camps.

First BC will be part of Michigan's camp at Paramus Catholic. My guess is Don Brown helped put this together. Some other programs with ties to Harbaugh -- like Maryland -- will also be there.

Later BC will join Ohio State and Urban Meyer at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. Presumably this was via Addazio's relationship with Meyer.

The good news about these camps is that you get to see prospects who you might normally get to Boston. The bad news is that all the elite players will be focused on Michigan and Ohio State. But that is the risk you take when the other program runs the camp. It is the same sort of deal when Harvard or UNH come to BC's camps at Alumni during the summer. As long as we make inroads with some prospects, it is worth it.

I hope these are huge successes for BC and we learn how to operate a satellite camp and run our own in the near future.

Go Crazy! Why BC should schedule Ohio State in 2013

The ACC's decision to revert back from nine to eight conference games has BC scrambling to find an opponent for 2013. The good news is that plenty of other respectable programs are looking too. BYU needs a game. We could play Northwestern again. ESPN could also find us an opponent too if we are willing to play on a random night. The conventional wisdom is that Brad Bates will wait until after he's hired a new coach to find a 12th opponent. That makes sense. You would want your new guy to have some influence on the process. But there is one potential opponent lingering out there who I think BC should schedule now: Ohio State. This might seem crazy. We will have a new coach, we already scheduled USC and we will probably be coming off our worst season in more than two decades. But where others see a chance for failure, I see opportunity.

No one would expect us to win
New coach. A losing team. On the road against Ohio State early in the year. The spread would probably be 30 points. And that's fine. If we get killed no one cares. If we hang with them for a bit, the new coach gets some respect from the fans and college football establishment. If we shock the world and win, it is huge, program-building momentum swing.

Ohio will still be a recruiting focal point
Regardless of who we hire, he's going to have to recruit in Ohio. Our ties to certain pockets of the state, the strength of various Catholic schools and the alternative that BC provides to lower-level Big Ten recruits means we have to maintain a presence there. Traditionally we've done so by playing MAC teams. Playing at Ohio Stadium once would be an even stronger planting of the flag. Plus it would be a nice trip for all the Ohio kids on our roster.

The payoff
If Ohio State agrees to the game, they will have two options. Either this is a one-time game at Ohio Stadium and they pay us a huge amount (north of $1 million) or they agree to a home and home (with the return game coming in the next few years). If they only want the one game, that's fine. Consider it a boost to the budget to pay for Spaz's buyout. If they agree to a home and home, that is a great tool for our new coach. He can go into recruits' homes and sell that future game. This is what I would say to our recruits and fans: "we had a rough game against Ohio State, but wait until they come to play us in 2015. They will see a whole new Boston College!"

Changing the perception of BC's schedule
BC has been notorious for our careful scheduling. Gene built schedules every year that he felt were balanced and lent to wining seasons. This didn't create a lot of excitement or credibility. But we did win. I was at BC when were were still living with Coughlin's "we'll play anyone" attitude. In 1995 we played a full Big East slate, plus Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Army. It was the toughest schedule in the country. BC went 4-8. Down the road we will need to adopt Gene's scheduling philosophy again, but for next year we can do whatever we want. If we go 4-8 again but the season includes Ohio State and USC it will be considered a good first season for our new coach. And then he and Brad Bates can use this one game any time someone challenges the strength or excitement of our schedule. I can just hear it now: "during the last five years we've played Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Northwestern, etc out of conference."

You only want a coach who wants to play Ohio State
I am sure Brad Bates wants to respect the opinion of our new head coach. But if our new leader doesn't have the hunger and confidence to rebuild BC and take on programs like Ohio State, then he is not the right guy for BC right now. I am all for smart scheduling but every once in a while you need to take a chance. This is BC's chance. Go sign this contract and dot that "I."

Ohio State should turn to TOB

Despite the occasional pleasure I get in watching his tired act in Raleigh, this is a serious post. I think Tom O'Brien might be the perfect guy to help Ohio State rebuild their program and reclaim their reputation. Aside from TOB's age (he would turn 64 in during the 2012 season) everything else makes sense.

Ohio State will have a tough time hiring an A list coach
The general assumption seems to be that Ohio State will get an A list head coach. Primary speculation focused on Urban Meyer. I think getting a top guy will be easier said than done. Meyer's health is still in question. This is also a guy who railed on about the corruption of college football on his way out the door at Florida. Does this fit the profile of a guy willing to step into a powder keg? I also don't think any other top guy with a job will take on Ohio State without knowing the full impact of potential sanctions. Given the timing of the USC case, it is unlikely all the sanctions will be known by December 2011 (which is when Ohio State's search will begin).

TOB has the profile that will sell to recruits, most Ohio State fans and the NCAA
He's an Ohio guy. He's a disciplinarian (with less hypocrisy than most college football coaches). He'll recruit Ohio hard. He'll beat Michigan. He'll leave the program in better shape than he found it. He has no association with Tressel nor any of the other boosters. He has a history of following rules.

When USC replaced Carroll with Kiffin, it was a slap in the face to the NCAA. They replaced the rule breaker with one of his lieutenants and a guy who was earning his own sordid reputation in Tennessee. Hence the punishment under Kiffin was severe. With TOB, Ohio State would be making a clean break and hiring TOB for his reputation.

TOB would take the job
Many (myself included) assume this will be TOB's last season. But the like all football coaches, the old Marine does have a healthy ego. He also feels like he has never been given enough credit for what he's done. If he "rebuilt" Ohio State it would solidify his career legacy and give him one final, big pay day. Plus this is the situation TOB seems to love -- low expectations and high upside. It fits his MO and his experience.

Whoever Ohio State hires will be a transitional coach through the sanctions and rebuilding. If that path is inevitable, the school might as well go with the squeaky clean Marine, endure the five years of boredom and come out smelling like a rose for the next young hot name.