Boston College Daily Links: ACC Signing Day Overview

ACC Signing Day Overview (CBSSports.com)
There's not a real impact player in this class and that's the biggest issue. A solid group of front seven players and lineman, the lack of skill position talent is notable.

Checking out ACC attendance numbers (ESPN ACC Blog)
The NCAA this month released its attendance report for the 2011 season, and Sports Business Journal recently released three-year averages for each conference. It should come as no surprise that Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech were the league leaders, in that order. Overall, according to the NCAA's numbers, here's how the ACC stacked up in 2011 compared to the rest of the country's accumulated attendance (of course you have to take into account stadium size, and the difference in number of home games)

Draft 2012: Mayock's Top Fives - NFL Draft Preview (Rotoworld.com)
Mayock uses the term "linebacker" loosely with Upshaw, who played outside 'backer in Nick Saban's 3-4 defense. Upshaw is a power player and may land on the line as a 4-3 end in the pros. Kuechly is this year's top true middle linebacker prospect. Hightower will likely play inside in a 3-4. Brown is a weak-side prospect for 4-3 teams. Burfict has a big name after earning first-team All-American honors as a sophomore. His performance dropped off significantly as a junior, however, and Burfict did not even earn 2011 all-conference honors in the Pac 12.

Four former BC Eagles playing for Giants in Super Bowl (WHDH.COM)
"I was excited. Though I’m a Patriots fan, I was excited. It was fun to watch. I think it will cause more tension," a student said. "There are a lot more Giants fans than you would expect at BC, so it’s not really a huge surprise," another student said.

In the Navy: Midshipmen to Join the Big East in 2015 (FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT)
The greatest flight risks, in my semi-educated opinion, are Louisville and Rutgers to the Big 12. I don’t buy further ACC expansion without Notre Dame for one second, and I don’t buy Notre Dame joining any conference for one second.

RECKLESS SCHEDULING (v 2.0): ARMY SWAPS IN AWAY GAME (Heights and Lows)
Remember that big sweeping sudoku puzzle of 2012 scheduling we did at the end of the season? Well, with news that BC and Army have swapped home field for the 2012 and 2013 dates, it's already wrong, but only on the basis of a technicality.

ACC Freshman Watch, Jan. 24 (ACC Sports Journal)
We’re now four weeks into Freshman Watch - our power rankings for the ACC’s top first-year talent. We’ll update the rankings every other week - the next one will be on Jan. 31 - but we’ll update the stats for the freshmen that qualify (at least 10.0 mpg and 5.0 ppg) on a weekly basis. That statistical update is below.

BC Hockey's Dropoff: Is Offense the Issue? (Soaring to Glory)
Boston College Eagles hockey fans are not used to seeing their team struggle, but over the last eight games, that is precisely what they have done. Since their first-half finale against UMass-Lowell, the Eagles have gone 2-5-1 and that has cost them standing in the most recent polls. Boston College is now ranked eighth in the nation according to the USA Today poll, in a season where they had been in the top five for the duration and even spent a few weeks at #1.