Nevada 20, BC 13

BC Football has been frustrating to watch all season. An outstanding defense undermined by an incapable offense. It's tragic in a way. BC entered this game with the 19th best scoring defense in the country. And they lived up to that reputation. They also brought the 109th scoring offense in the country, and lived up to that reputation.

Let's be positive and talk about the defense. Nevada averaged 42.6 points per game this year. BC held them to a season low 20. They averaged 535.5 yards per game (only Oregon was more prolific). BC held them to 304. They averaged 305.6 rushing yards this year. BC held them to 112.

But my favorite stat was this one: BC forced Nevada to punt 7 times. They averaged 2.3 punts per game this year. The Eagles also forced 3 turnovers, to go with those drives ending in punts.

One of those turnovers was an interception by sophomore All-American linebacker Luke Kuechly. This is one of the best players in the game. He's fast, he has a nose for the ball, and he's strong. Keep an eye on him next year.

That's the mantra for BC football. This was a "rebuilding year," to put it kindly. The offense needs to improve. Freshman RB Andre Williams has a bright year ahead of him. But freshman QB Chase Rettig looked like he was about to cry at the end of this game.

I understand the idea of starting Rettig, to get him experience and make him a solid QB as an upperclassman. However, the style of offense BC uses is too bland, too straight-up, too NFL-esque. Why not run more misdirection running plays? Why not try the option? Why are the Eagles using the same kind of offense that Matt Ryan ran? It won't work with mediocre QBs. Even if Rettig improves to serviceable, this offense isn't dynamic enough.

I'll put it like this: BC will never be stronger or faster than their top tier opponents. So trying to beat them eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose is suicidal. Be smart. Be clever. Be elusive. At the very least, be more exciting.

Anyway, a forgettable season with a semi-memorable ending. At least more memorable than losing to Vanderbilt or winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

-The Commodore

College Bowl Picks/Previews: Part 9

The last three games. Two bowls that very few people care about, then the big enchilada in the desert. I'm 17-14 in my picks so far, and have selected each BCS game correctly.

Saturday - 12:00 PM - ESPN
BBVA Compass Bowl - Birmingham, AL
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
This would be a really good basketball game. Football? Not so much. Pitt can salvage their season with a win here. Kentucky was the SEC's whipping boy, going 2-6 in conference play, beating Vanderbilt and upsetting South Carolina. Wins against Western Kentucky, Akron, and Charleston Southern inflated their record. Pitt should walk.



Sunday - 9:00 PM - ESPN
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - San Francisco, CA
#15 Nevada Wolfpack vs. Boston College Eagles
Nevada only lost one game. They beat Boise State and won the WAC. They averaged over 42 points and 300 rushing yards per game. They'll face a BC defense that was actually 19th in the country, and might give them a fight. But BC was also 109th on offense, and so will ultimately lose. Though it might be close.



Monday - 8:30 PM - ESPN
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game - Glendale, AZ
#2 Oregon Ducks vs. #1 Auburn Tigers
The Ducks scored 49.3 points per game (#1 in the country), and allowed 18.4 (#14). But that was in a very shallow Pac-10. Oregon's biggest road win was at USC. I think this game will be close, and Auburn has more experience in close, difficult games. Oregon is a great team, and perhaps more talented all around. Cam Newton is such a load-carrying player, though. And his teammates play with character. They've proven so much more than Oregon.

Auburn wins, 31-27.









-The Commodore

BC to Play in San Francisco

Once again, BC will make the trip to San Francisco, this time to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. They'll once again face a quality opponent, this time in #15 Nevada. The Wolfpack are 12-1, their only loss coming at Hawaii. They were the ones who beat Boise State.

Oh, and San Francisco is about 220 miles from Reno. So, don't expect BC to be the favorites in this once. Then again, I think the Eagles' defense might prevent utter humiliation. And if BC do somehow find a way to win, it'll be a nice cap to a forgettable season. Though, that's wishful thinking.

BC football has gotten to the point that they're expected to make bowl games, even when having off years. That's good. But they've been stuck in this rut, cycling through the same low-level ACC affiliated bowls, for some time now. Can the program move forward, and contend for those higher games, like the Chick-fil-A and Champs Sports Bowl?

I doubt it, at least in the foreseeable future. And down the road in Storrs, the UConn Huskies are going to a BCS Bowl. They won the big game at the end of the year, which BC has failed to do in years past. And winners get the glory.

The game will be played in the Giants' homefield of AT&T Park on January 9, at 9.

-The Commodore

ACC Football Preview

The ACC hasn't been too impressive in recent years. ACC representatives were 3-4 in Bowl Games. The struggles of Miami and Florida State are partially to blame. But this year might be the beginning of a resurgence.

1. MIAMI HURRICANES

The U is back, ladies and gentlemen. Jacory Harris looks to build on an impressive yet inconsistent (17 INTs) season. He has 4 excellent receivers to distribute the ball to, and some solid runningbacks to carry the mail. The defensive line is ferocious and deep. The DBs are also solid. There are still rough edges, and this team will still find ways to tokenly screw things up, but they're in the ACC, so it won't matter. They host Virginia Tech in November, so i'm giving the Hurricanes the edge to win the Coastal Division, which is by far the superior grouping in the ACC.

Prediction: 10-2, ACC Coastal Division winner, ACC Championship winner

Key Games:
9/11 @ Ohio State
9/23 @ Pittsburgh
10/2 @ Clemson
10/9 vs. Florida State
11/13 @ Georgia Tech
11/20 vs. Virginia Tech

2. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

The Hokies return 7 offensive starters, including talented QB Tyrod Taylor, a talented stable of WRs, and last but not least: Ryan Williams, who ran for 1,655 yards in '09, scoring 21 TDs. Virginia Tech finally has an offense again. However, their defense only returns 3 starters, 1 each on the D-Line, at LB and in the defensive backfield. And the new faces aren't that impressive, either. Thankfully for Tech, they're in the ACC, and reloading years can still be quite successful.

Prediction: 10-2, 2nd in Coastal Division

Key Games:
9/6 vs. Boise State (in Landover, MD)
11/4 vs. Georgia Tech
11/20 @ Miami

3. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

Don't forget that GT won the ACC last year. The Yellow Jackets averaged 295.4 rushing yards per game last year. They lost a few backs to graduation, but that's like taking a gallon of water out of the ocean, there's plenty more RBs where those came from. Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets have some big leaks. Their defense couldn't make stops, their QB was erratic, and their special teams were a liability. Hiring Al Groh as a defensive coordinator should help the defense. It'd be hard to make that worse. Tech will be good, just not good enough to beat Miami or Virginia Tech.

Prediction: 9-3, 3rd in Coastal Division

Key Games:
10/23 @ Clemson
11/4 @ Virginia Tech
11/13 vs. Miami
11/27 @ Georgia

4. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

Florida State will cruise to an Atlantic Division title. Because who can contend with them? BC? Clemson? HA! The Seminoles will feature an experienced, balanced offense led by QB Christian Ponder. Their defense was awful last year, allowing 21+ points in 12 of 13 games (they held Jacksonville State to 9). They've changed their defensive coaching staff, adding Mark Stoops as defensive coordinator. They play in a weak division, but have some tough non-conference opponents.

Prediction: 8-4, ACC Atlantic Division winner

Key Games:
9/11 @ Oklahoma
9/18 vs. BYU
10/9 @ Miami
11/13 vs. Clemson
11/27 vs. Florida

The rest of the conference is listed alphabetically...

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

BC has especially strong strengths, and especially weak weaknesses. RB Montel Harris returns after a 1,457 yard, 14 TD sophomore season. The Eagles also boast one of the best LB corps in the country with Mark Herzlich slated to return. However, their receivers are inadequate. They'll miss Rich Gunnell. And QB David Shinksie struggles against competent defenses.

Prediction: 7-5

CLEMSON TIGERS

No more CJ Spiller for Clemson. No Jacoby Ford either. The Tigers will not be able to replace the 32 TDs and 2,616 yards from scrimmage these two provided. They will have some decent RBs, but they need one of them to emerge as a true #1. They have almost no offense. Their defense is solid, with a superb D-Line, but it's not good enough to win games on its own.

Prediction: 7-5

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

Duke has a solid passing game, but absolutely no rushing game whatsoever. The Blue Devils averaged 63.5 yards/game last year, and 2.3 per carry. Their defense is also quite bland. Then again, it's Duke. They're no longer utter pushovers, no longer guaranteed wins for opponents.

Prediction: 3-9

MARYLAND TERRAPINS

The Terps have some solid skill players on offense, but lack a line to protect their QB or make holes for their RBs. Their defense allows big plays, and gets a little too blitz-happy. Head coach Ralph Friedgen would be gone if not for a $4 million buyout that the athletic department didn't want to play. They're one of the worst teams in the country and didn't do much to improve. They were 2-10 in '09, with one of those wins coming against James Madison... in overtime.

Prediction: 4-8

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

People expect to see something from UNC this season, but not me. They return 9 starters from the 13th best scoring defense in the country. But they also return 9 starters from the 83rd ranked scoring offense. They have future NFL guys like DE Robert Quinn, who registered 11 sacks last year. But their offense is a joke. QB TJ Yates threw 14 TDs last season, along with 15 INTs. They'll compete, and could upset a big team in the Coastal Division, but don't expect them contending.

Prediction: 7-5

NC STATE WOLFPACK

NCSU scored a nice 30.7 points per game last year. But they allowed 31.2 per game. And 110 of their 368 total points came against Murray State and Gardner-Webb. So their offense isn't as good as it might seem. If QB Russell Wilson decides to play football (he was drafted by the Rockies), then NCSU might win some games. Otherwise, they're completely screwed.

Prediction: 5-7

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

New coach Mike London inherits Al Groh's mess. UVA are one of the worst programs in college football. They lost to William & Mary last year. They were 103rd in scoring offense, 68th in scoring defense. London will bring things back to basics, which should suit his players better. But he has absolutely no talent to work with at all. The November 13th meeting between Virginia and Maryland will be an abomination to the game of football, and should be boycotted.

Prediction: 4-8 (they play Richmond and VMI).

WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

With the departure of Riley Skinner, there's a 4 way competition for the QB spot. The Deacons boast some good WRs and dependable backs, so they might select a speedy QB and go with an option offense. That wouldn't be a bad idea, and it could do well in the Atlantic Division. They have some defensive ends that can pressure opposing QBs, but they're weak up the middle on defense. Token ACC team here.

Prediction: 6-6

-The Commodore

USC 24, BC 13

A lot of people gave BC a chance in this game. And that chance would be if USC decided not to show up and give 100%, BC would win. In fact, I'd say that most people out there felt like USC at 80% would be quite sufficient to bury the Eagles.

Well, USC did show up. And Boston College still lost. But it was hardly the shellacking that was anticipated by some people (including myself) out there.

In fact, in many ways, BC cost themselves the game. Shinskie's interception, Montel Harris fumbling the ball on the USC 6 yard line. And of course the missed extra-point. BC struggled with the wet conditions much more than USC. And in the 1st quarter, BC was clearly nervous and jumpy, especially Shinskie.



The Mountain West officiating crew also did their part. These guys were probably expecting a match-up like BC/Arizona, not BC/USC. They weren't blatantly biased, except when it came to instant replay. What was clearly an incomplete pass (receiver out of bounds) was ruled a completion, then upheld. Instead of 2nd & 10 on the BC 44, the Trojans were given 1st & goal on the BC 6. They then scored a touchdown.

In the 3rd, with USC up only 17-13, BC punted. The ball bounced off a Trojan, who was engaged with BC's Luke Kuechly. Kuechly then pounced on the ball. The officials reviewed the play, then decided that the USC player had been blocked into the ball. Even though the USC player was blocking Keuchly forward, and literally stepped into the bounce of the ball. BC would have had possession on USC's 30 yard line.

Officiating aside, BC lost this game on their own. I like David Shinskie, but he's not the long-term solution at QB. He's steady. And against the likes of Maryland and NC State, he's more than adequate. But BC has a desire to move beyond the middle of the ACC. BC wants to do more than get to Emerald Bowls. David Shinskie simply isn't the QB to get them there. At least not now.



BC usually gets good QBs (Matt Ryan, Brian St. Pierre, the Hasselbecks), so I'm sure a solution at the position will eventually be found.

But I can't wait for BC's 2010 campaign. The QB situation will at least no longer be a massive question mark as it was in the summer of '09. Montel Harris (1,457 yards, 14 TDs) will be back for his junior season. Luke Kuechly (142 tackles, 81 solo tackles, 2nd in country in both categories) will be back for his sophomore season. And All-American Mark Herzlich will also return.

Did anyone else think how ridiculous USC's post-game exuberance was? I mean, they won a 3rd-tier bowl game in their home state against a team that has academic standards. Good job! Maybe next year you'll be able to beat Washington!



-The Commodore

Boston College vs. USC in Emerald Bowl

Normally, an Emerald Bowl berth is yet another ho hum Boston College post-season appearance. But when it's up against USC, that's no longer the case. Thanks to USC's 4 losses, the Emerald Bowl was able to snag USC. The Trojans had been in the BCS for 7 straight years.

It's a bit of a rematch, and a bit of a preview. BC's basketball team was eliminated by USC in the Tournament last March. And these two football teams will meet in 2013 (in California) and 2014 (in Boston).

This is great news for Boston College, who achieved an unexpected 8-4 record. Even without a win, this game will bring a lot of attention locally and nationally. Attention=recruits. Recruits=winning. Winning=more attention. More attention=more recruits.

The game will be December 26th at AT&T Park (where the Giants play) in San Francisco.

-The Commodore

BC Needs a Rival

This was Rivalry Weekend in college football. In-state and border-state rivals faced off in games that fans look forward to all year. UCLA played USC, North Carolina played NC State, Clemson/South Carolina, Mississippi/Mississippi State, Oklahoma State/Oklahoma, Arizona/Arizona State, Florida State/Florida, Virginia Tech/Virginia, Kansas/Missouri, Utah/BYU, Texas Tech/Baylor, Washington State/Washington, Kentucky/Tennessee, Arkansas/LSU, Georgia/Georgia Tech, Rice/Houston, Texas/Texas A&M, Alabama/Auburn, Nebraska/Colorado, and Pittsburgh/West Virginia.

These rivalries often come with trophies held by the winning team, and cool nicknames like Bedlam, Backyard Brawl, Good Old Fashioned Hate, Border War, Egg Bowl, Iron Bowl, and Holy War.

Who did BC play this weekend?

Maryland.

Boston College doesn't have a local rival. They used to until Holy Cross went down to 1AA. Sure, Virginia Tech is a rival (for BS, but not for Tech). And Notre Dame/BC is a rivalry as well, but much more for BC than Notre Dame.



Last year I suggested BC find a new rival, and some BC putz claimed that Syracuse is their rival. Really? Well in football, BC is 10 times better, as is Syracuse in basketball.

Boston College does have a local rival, they just haven't played yet. It's the only other Division 1A team in New England: The University of Connecticut. Storrs is only 80 miles from Chestnut Hill. That's closer than most of those rivalries mentioned above.

It would be Big East vs. ACC (and ex-Big East), public vs. private, secular vs. Catholic, Hartford vs. Boston, and it could claim the average New England sports fans' attention for at least one weekend of the year.

The game could even be played at Gillette Stadium, so fans of both teams could tailgate (very few BC fans can actually tailgate because the campus has such a parking crunch). Tickets can be split between teams to fill the 68,000 seats at Gillette (UConn's Rentschler Field sits 40,000, BC's Alumni Stadium holds 44,500).

We can call it the Blackstone River Shootout.



Or come up with a better name.

It's worth a shot, and both athletic departments should look into it. UConn played Syracuse this weekend, and while that's a big basketball rivalry, it's just not the same in football. As a college football fan, it'd be cool to have a rivalry game to look forward to all season. Everytime Rivalry Weekend comes round, I feel like as a BC fan, I'm missing out.

-The Commodore

BC 35, Central Michigan 10

I know what the haters will say. "Bowl Eligibility isn't a big deal, not for a big program, and BC thinks they have a big program." Well I'm a BC fan, and we most certainly DO NOT have a big program. We have a solid, middle class kind of program. And BC wasn't supposed to reach bowl eligibility this year, not according to many ACC predictors. But they're 6-3, with 3 not-so-tough conference games left to play (@ Virginia, vs. UNC, @ Maryland). If they win those 3, and Clemson loses an ACC game, then the Eagles go to the ACC Championship for the 3rd straight year.

Against CMU, Montel Harris returned with a vengeance. He was stifled in the Notre Dame game, but against the Chippewas he put up 136 yards and scored 2 TDs. He's already surpassed his numbers from last year. He's got 930 yards with 3 games left to play. And he's got 13 TDs, compared to just 5 last season.

The Eagles travel to Charlottesville to take on the 3-5 Virginia Cavaliers.

-The Commodore

Notre Dame 20, BC 16

The Eagles were looking for their 7th straight win over the Fighting Irish, bowl eligibility, and their first road win of the season. But they turned the ball over 5 times in a closely fought contest in South Bend.

The BC defense was excellent, holding Notre Dame to 5 for 15 on 3rd downs, and coming up with some big stops. Combined with punter Ryan Quigley, the Eagles dominated the field possession battle, but didn't do much with that advantage.

BC wasn't supposed to win this game, but the 5 turnovers cost them what would have been a season-making win. Not only would they have secured bowl eligibility, they could have cracked the Top 25, or at least gotten themselves to the precipice of doing so.

BC comes home and plays Central Michigan on Halloween. But CMU is no pushover. The Chippewas are 7-1 (4-0 on the road, including @ Michigan State), so BC will have their work cut out for them.

-The Commodore

BC 52, NC State 20

The Tennessee Titans and NCSU Wolfpack should get together, go out for some hot cocoa, and bitch about the weather in New England. Both teams traveled to Massachusetts this weekend, both had to deal with the cold, and both gave up 50+ points.

A week after being embarassed by Virginia Tech, the Eagles returned to the creamy middle of the ACC and pummelled NC State. The win puts BC on top of the mediocre Atlantic Division, half a game ahead of Clemson and Wake Forest.

Montel Harris set school records with 264 yards rushing and 5 TDs. He's rushed for 756 yards and 5.6 YPC this season. He had 900 yards on the ground last year. He's got 5 more games to surpass that mark.

BC isn't amazing. They don't deserve to even be considered to be ranked (they got 3 votes in the latest Coaches' Poll). But they're better than what everyone thought they'd be. They only need 1 more win to attain bowl eligibility, and they lead their division.

They play Notre Dame in South Bend next Saturday at 3:30.

Sidenote: I was disappointed with BC fans at this game (actually, the fans NOT at this game), particularly the student section. It was about 5 rows from full, and in 3 years of working games at BC, I've never seen that. Leaving a cold blowout game early is one thing, but not even being able to fill the student section is just sad. When BC fans like myself complain about not getting big bowl bids, we should point the fingers at our fellow fans, and not some vague Dixieland good ole boy conspiracy.

-The Commodore

College GameDay Coming to BC

For the second time, ESPN's famous Saturday morning college football pregame show will grace Chestnut Hill with its presence. The show will broadcast from the Campus Green from 10 AM to noon, before BC's game against Florida State.

As a BC fan, and as someone who works at BC football games, I'm pretty exited about this. Exited, yet confused and surprised. #7 USC is playing #24 Cal in Berkeley. That's a big game. #4 LSU is at #18 Georgia, that's an even bigger game. #8 Oklahoma is at #17 Miami. That's a monstrous game.

Neither Boston College or Florida State are ranked.

But maybe this has something to do with BC football's anti-cancer campaign. I can't think of another reason to choose Chestnut Hill over Berkeley, Athens, or Miami.

-The Commodore

BC 27, Wake Forest 24 (OT)

Boston College went into Saturday's meeting with Wake Forest reeling from a conference loss. They showed no capability of building any offensive momentum. If not for a stalwart series of defensive stands, as well as Clemson's painfully one dimensional offense, BC would have been blown out by halftime.

The goal for this year's BC team is to attain bowl eligibility (6 wins). And even that might be a bit lofty. Their schedule has cupcakes enough to get them close (they already have wins against Northeastern and Kent State, and they'll eventually face lowly Maryland and Virginia). But in order to reach that 6 win mark, they need to win games against their fellow ACC mediocritites, like Wake Forest and NC State.

So this was a big win for BC. And it was nearly a big loss. The game was tight until the 4th quarter when Dave Shinskie found Colin Larmond Jr for a touchdown, and the Eagles went up 24-10. But with about 4 minutes left, Wake Forest's Riley Skinner drove the ball down field and scored. BC got the ball back but punted with 1:46 left. Skinner again led a drive down the field and into the end zone.

In overtime, the Eagles were on the verge of defeat. They kicked a field goal with their possession, but Wake Forest moved the ball at will against an exhausted BC defense. On 1st and goal from the 3, Riley Skinner was forced out of the pocket, fumbled, and BC fell on it, ending the game in dramatic fashion.

So the good news is that BC has 3 of those 6 needed wins. More good news is that Dave Shinksie is the full-time QB... for now, and he wasn't that bad. The bad news is that BC now has to play Florida State and Virginia Tech (in Blacksburg), so win #4 might not come for a few weeks.

-The Commodore

Reality 25, BC 7

After rolling over Northeastern and Kent State, the BC Eagles had to face a real team. And it was ugly. Clemson's kicker Richard Jackson was the best player on the field, which tells you all you need to know about this game. On the bright side, the BC defense didn't allow a touchdown. On the not-so-bright side, the afore mentioned Jackson kicked 6 field goals. And on the very dark side, the BC offense was inept at best, impotent at worst.

Justin Tuggle was 4 for 20 for 23 yards, a touchdown, and 3 interceptions. And yes, he looked as bad as those numbers suggest.

BC rushed for 0.9 yards an attempt. They had 51 yards of offense. The offense didn't get a 1st down until 1:56 remained in the 3rd.

There were some bright spots on the defensive side of the ball. Then again, Clemson has a one dimensional offense, so it's not brain surgery. BC probably should have lost this game 42-7, but the defense kept things relatively close.

The Eagles return home to face Wake Forest next Saturday. BC can beat Wake Forest, but unfortunately they won't.

-The Commodore

BC Wins Football Beanpot

I'll enjoy BC's 54-0 victory over Northeastern as much as possible. Wins for the Eagles will be few and far between this season, so let's not spoil things by talking about Northeastern's 2-10 record last year in I-AA. And don't forget, two ACC teams fell to I-AA opponents this weekend, so beating Northeastern isn't totally meaningless.

BC used 4 quarterbacks in this game. All did well, none did great. The position is still wide open. Combined, they were 15/22 for 205 yards and 2 TDs. It was the rushing game that did most of BC's damage. 6 players combined for 236 yards and 4 TDs.

Billy Flutie caught his first career TD pass.

This was a preseason game for BC, no doubt about it. But it's not like the Eagles are alone in scheduling cupcakes to start the season. #1 Florida scheduled Charleston Southern, #2 Texas played Louisiana-Monroe, #4 USC hosted San Jose State, and #9 Penn State scheduled Akron. And all these games were blowouts.

I don't mind games against I-AA teams, but they shouldn't count for something like bowl eligibility, especially if there are 2 I-AA games on a team's schedule.

The "real" season starts for BC next Saturday, as Kent State (who went 4-8 last year) comes to Chestnut Hill. The Eagles best stockpile these easy wins while the getting is good, because after Kent State it's a road trip down to Clemson.

-The Commodore

Raji Didn't Fail Drug Test?

This story just keeps getting more interesting. Raji, who has been one of the biggest risers on the draft board was reported to have failed a drug test, which would obviously lower his draft projection. Now his agent is coming out and saying this is not true, and that Raji has not been notified by the NFL that he has failed anything. I am really not sure what to think of this.

On one hand his agent would obviously want to cover him for as long as possible, and try to make teams at least question if there is a failed drug test. This would be make more likely that a team would take a chance on him.

On the other hand if the NFL has not come out and stated that he failed a drug test, then how are these reports coming out? Maybe this was just a poorly investigated story.

My hatred for BC put aside for a moment...I have to say that I think he is actually innocent. No NFL person has come out and said that he failed a test, and I think SI just ran a story on a bunch of rumors. It will be very interesting to follow this story until the upcoming draft.

B.J. Raji Fails Drug Test

"Former Boston College lineman B.J. Raji, who is considered the top defensive tackle eligible for this month's NFL draft, reportedly failed a drug test at the NFL combine (Sportsline)."

There is no player that has been climbing draft boards as much as Raji. Well you can probably kiss that goodbye, as a lot of teams are not going to pay top dollar to a draft pick that is failing drug test already. Don't think for a second that this was some kind of "misunderstanding". He failed a drug test while at BC for marijuana, and he also missed the 2007 college season with academic problems, so basically he is a fuck up. It is really too bad, this kid just cost himself a bunch of money, and now may have dropped himself out of the top 15.

BC goes with Spaziani

Frank Spaziani has been a long time Boston College assistant, and even though he was bitter towards the school when he got passed up in 2006. His patience finally paid off as he was named the head coach of Douche College. I guess Spaziani fits the mold of a coach who wants to stay at Douche College for a while and wont jump to the NFL or another better school.

I actually think Spaziani will do a great job. He has some promising players like QB Dominique Davis and RBs Montel Harris and Josh Haden. I think next year Douche College will probably be in control of the ACC until the ACC Championship game and lose to a crappy team like Clemson or something. Just a feeling, ya know.

The 61-year-old who built top defenses during his 10 years as coordinator succeeds Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired last Wednesday after two seasons when he interviewed for the New York Jets coaching job after being told he would be dismissed if he did so.

BC fires Jagodzinski

The idoit BC AD (Gene DeFilippo) fired Jagodzinski today, here is the video...

-BMack

Jeff Jagodzinski Drama

As the titanic programs of college football duke it out in the BCS, Boston College, who lost to Vanderbilt and will finish the season unranked, made some headlines. Apparently, BC threatened to fire head coach Jeff Jagodzinski if he took an interview with the Jets for their recently vacant head coaching job.

At first, I was appalled. Head coaches, particularly at the college level, often take interviews for jobs. And this would be no insult to BC. The Jets are an NFL team. That's a step up from any college program. So why threaten a coach like this?

Then I thought more and more about it. Boston College internally recognizes that it's a second-tier football program. Competetive, occasionally making a cameo in the AP Poll, perpetually bowl eligible, but never in the same club as elite programs like Texas, USC, Ohio State, or Virginia Tech, and so on. BC knows this, and they want to change it. They want to be in the BCS every year, win conference titles, even compete for the national championship.

In order to do this, one of the things they need is coaching stability. They need a guy to stay at BC long enough to generate multiple generations of recruits. They want a coach to stay for 8, 10, 15 years; long enough to be thought of simultaneously when one thinks of BC football. The way Joe Paterno = Penn State, Bob Stoops = Oklahoma, Mack Brown = Texas.

If Jagodzinski interviews with the Jets, then he's not this guy. Whether or not he gets the job, if he takes the interview, it's clear he doesn't want to stay at BC. I can't blame him, the NFL is the NFL. But if he's just coaching at BC in order to secure his next job, then BC should move on and go in another direction.

The problem is, not many great coaches would consider BC to be their ultimate career ambition. Perhaps BC's next head coach should be a long-time assistant, or someone from Boston, or perhaps a BC alum. In other words, someone who's happy to be on Chestnut Hill for a long time.

Another interesting little twist. BC Athletic Director Gene DiFilippo (GDF) had been asked by the media if Jags was interviewing for the Jets job. This was over the weekend. GDF denied it. Jags also apparently denied it, assuring GDF that the rumors weren't true. Then it became clear that there was a meeting scheduled between Jags and the Jets. In other words, Jagodzinski lied to the BC Athletic Department. Why? There was an understanding that he wouldn't seek an NFL job for the first 3 years of his deal with BC.

If he lied to his AD, then that's pretty good reason to fire him. If BC wants a coach who will stay for a long time, it's not Jagodzinski, and maybe they should both move on. If so, BC should also lower its standards because very few top coaches want to finish their careers on Chestnut Hill.

-The Commodore

Source:
Boston.com

16 Vandy, 14 BC

Hahahahaha! It is appropriate that they lost in the Gaylord Bowl. BC lost to a team who lost 6 straight in the regular season and hasn't made it to a bowl game since 1982 and hasn't won a bowl game since the 50's. This snaps an 8 game fluff bowl win streak, and I am never so happy. I feel bad for the players but I don't feel bad for all the douchebags that go to BC and pretend to be fans. Oh yea, hardly any Boston College fans went due to their 1,500 tickets left (that is all of BC's portion).


Fuck You BC.