Interesting scheduling tidbit coming out of BYU media day, where Bronco Mendenhall mentions the possibility of the Cougars returning to BC's future schedule:
"Holmoe said he would like to take BYU all over the country, and would like to schedule games against the service academies, possibly even Northwestern or Vanderbilt. Mendenhall mentioned getting games against teams like Boston College, and playing in the Southeast, Midwest and Northwest."
I am a big fan of seeing BYU return to the Eagles' future football schedule, if only for another home-and-home (I doubt BC would get a Texas-like 2-for-1 deal from BYU, but I suppose you never know). The question becomes where would the Cougars fall on BC's future non-conference schedules.
Here is the tentative slate for the Eagles:
Year | OOC #1 | OOC #2 | OOC #3 | OOC #4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Notre Dame | @ Northwestern | Army | Maine |
2013 | @ USC | Syracuse | @ Army | Stony Brook |
2014 | USC | @ Syracuse | vs. Army | Rhode Island |
2015 | Notre Dame | Syracuse | Army | Buffalo (Location TBD) |
2016 | @ Notre Dame | @ Syracuse | Buffalo (Location TBD) | |
2017 | Syracuse | |||
2018 | @ Notre Dame | Syracuse | ||
2019 | Notre Dame | @ Syracuse | ||
2020 | @ Syracuse | |||
2021 | Syracuse |
Overall, I'm really happy with the way the future BC football schedule is shaping up. I love the fact that Syracuse is on the schedule every year from 2013-2021, and I'm obviously a big fan of the six-game Notre Dame series and the home-and-home with USC.
I'm thinking UMass will accept BC's proposal for a 4-for-2 with the two away games played at Gillette. In all likelihood, that deal would go into effect for the 2016 season and be played every season from 2016-2021. After slotting in the Minutemen, that leaves just three seasons where BC has two scheduling slots remaining -- 2017, 2020 and 2021. Even though BC already has both Notre Dame and Syracuse on the sched in 2018, I'd look to the 2017-18 seasons to slot the Cougars in, with the home date in 2017 and the road trip in 2018 (since BC gets both ND and Cuse at home in 2018). I have no problem playing two BCS-calibre independents and Syracuse in a season and feel the program needs this type of scheduling to continue to build interest in going to the Heights on Saturdays in the fall.
After the jump, a look at the future schedules after slotting in BYU and UMass.
Year | OOC #1 | OOC #2 | OOC #3 | OOC #4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Notre Dame | @ Northwestern | Army | Maine |
2013 | @ USC | Syracuse | @ Army | Stony Brook |
2014 | USC | @ Syracuse | vs. Army | Rhode Island |
2015 | Notre Dame | Syracuse | Army | Buffalo (Location TBD) |
2016 | @ Notre Dame | @ Syracuse | Buffalo (Location TBD) | UMass |
2017 | Brigham Young | Syracuse | @ UMass | |
2018 | @ Notre Dame | Syracuse | @ Brigham Young | UMass |
2019 | Notre Dame | @ Syracuse | UMass | |
2020 | @ Syracuse | UMass | ||
2021 | Syracuse | @ UMass |
This schedule is set up to guarantee at least six home games in every season going forward, and ideally seven in every season post 2016. I would hope that UMass replaces the I-AA game on the schedule, but GDF will probably slot a Maine, Rhode Island, Stony Brook, Fordham (Jesuit power!) or New Hampshire in the remaining slot in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. If we didn't play a I-AA opponent in one of these seasons, I wouldn't mind seeing Navy return to the schedule in any one of these years.
After slotting in Navy / I-AAs, this would leave just two scheduling slots left on the sched in 2020 and 2021, but hopefully by that point Notre Dame decides to re-up its deal and continue the Holy War series with BC.
What do you think of the possibility of scheduling newly independent BYU? General thoughts/impressions on the Eagles' future football schedules?