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Boston College Prepares To Host Virginia Tech

Jeff: Brian, BC had off on Saturday but went from #39 to unranked in the AP poll. Fortunately they went up slightly in the USA Today poll but perhaps this is because on Saturday, Central Florida lost, Kent State lost and Georgia Tech only beat Gardner-Webb by 3 points. Is BC just not as good as we once thought given the quality of opponents we've played?

Brian: I think it's too early to tell whether BC is a Top 25 team. There really isn't a standout team in the ACC this year, and every team has a few flaws. Sure Central Florida lost, but they hung with Miami for most of the game. And don't let a 3 point win by Georgia Tech over Gardner-Webb fool you - they did have their third string quarterback playing in that game. All memory of a 3 point win over an FCS team will be erased for Georgia Tech if they can go into Death Valley this weekend and knock off Clemson.

The game between the Eagles and Hokies will really tell whether or not Boston College is a contender in the ACC or a paper tiger. A win over the Hokies will push the Eagles to 5-1 (2-1 ACC) and garner some love in both the polls. A loss at home on primetime television will dismiss the Eagles from the national picture and will put Wake Forest firmly in the driver's seat for the Atlantic Division crown. Hopefully, with two weeks to prepare for Virginia Tech, the Eagles come out ready and prove to the rest of the country that we are a Top 25 team.

Jeff: You're right, BC does have a chance to prove itself Saturday against Virginia Tech in prime time which is a huge game and a rematch of not only the miracle in Blacksburg, but also the ACC Championship Game. Why is this game not even sold out? Right now there are fewer tickets available for the Clemson game than there are this Saturday where you can not only get tickets, but you have plenty of choices of where to sit including the lower sidelines on bceagles.com. What is going on here?

Brian: The short answer is I have no idea. It could be that Clemson fans travel better than Virginia Tech, or the typical excuse that the city is swept up in Red Sox fever? The credit crunch and the impending collapse of our economy? I don't get it. Clemson is 3-3 and Virginia Tech is a blocked punt away from being in the national championship conversation. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Jeff, we have disagreed in the past about the importance of the Georgia Tech loss to the Eagles chances to repeat as Atlantic Division champs. You have to agree with me though that if we lose to another Coastal team this Saturday (Virginia Tech) or the following Saturday (North Carolina), this will definitely hurt any chance we have of repeating. (How did we end up playing arguably the 3 toughest teams from the other side of the conference??)

Jeff: Unfortunately, it is just pure coincidence. Most people were picking Virginia Tech and North Carolina to go 1-2 in their division so there is no real surprise that we have two tough games with those 2 on our schedule. The real surprise is Georgia Tech being as good as they have been. The bottom line is, right now we control our own destiny so we are in good shape, but if we lose to any conference team before Wake Forest does, we'll be needing some help that might be hard to find given the Demon Deacons schedule which does not include Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, or North Carolina.

Since Notre Dame fell to UNC Saturday, this weekend's game against Virginia Tech gave Boston College their best chance to host College Game Day this season. It was a long shot but that possibility is over because Gameday has chosen to go see Texas play again when they host Missouri on Saturday. Now the best chance for Fowler, Herbstreit and Corso to see the Eagles is next week at UNC, right?

Brian: Best chance is North Carolina if the Eagles knock off the Hokies, but it's not that good of a chance. That same weekend you have Oklahoma State at Texas, Texas Tech at Kansas and Georgia at LSU. My guess is College Gameday is going to continue to rotate between Big XII and SEC venues, and might not get to an ACC game this season.


Quickly ... keeping tabs on Eagle alumni - Matt Hasselbeck sat out Sunday with an injured knee, while the Seahawks dropped to Green Bay 27-17 and are spiraling out of the NFC West race with a 1-4 mark ... an early Happy Trails to former BC Eagle Chuck Kobasew who is out with a fractured right ankle ... also Bruin Andrew Alberts has been scratched for the first two games ... Matt Ryan is the man.