According to a report in the Portland Press Herald, the FCS Maine Black Bears will travel to Alumni Stadium to take on the Eagles on September 8, 2012.
"The University of Maine football team will begin its 2012 season against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, facing Boston College for the second time in six years.
The Black Bears will visit Chestnut Hill, Mass., for a game against the Eagles on Sept. 8. Boston College beat the Black Bears 22-0 in 2006."
If some of the conference's other non-conference dates hold, it's looking like week 2 in the ACC will be an all non-conference game affair.
Clemson -- Ball State
Florida State -- West Virginia
N.C. State -- at Connecticut
Maryland -- at Temple
Boston College -- Maine
Georgia Tech -- Middle Tennessee State
North Carolina -- at Louisville
Miami -- at Kansas State
Virginia -- Penn State
Duke -- at Stanford
Only Wake Forest and Virginia Tech don't have games scheduled for the September 8 weekend yet, though my guess is Virginia Tech will have the week off after the Hokies' Labor Day game against Georgia Tech. Wake Forest, as odd team out, might as well.
I can't say I'm thrilled with the placement of Maine on the schedule as this most certainly means the Eagles will host a quality ACC opponent on Parents' Weekend. Well, or Maryland. Without a Parents Weekend attendance boost, my guess is BC's home game against Maine will be very lightly attended. Last season, BC hosted Massachusetts, a program transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision, in front of the smallest home crowd of the season -- 30,176.
But if BC does open the season at home against Miami, followed by a home game against Maine, the early season schedule is more than manageable for a team that returns 19 starters from last year's 4-8 team. On paper at least, it's looking like BC's 2012 football schedule will mirror this past season's schedule -- extremely back-loaded with a bunch of winnable games in the first half of the year.
Mad Lib 2012 Boston College Football Schedule
Sep. 1 -- Miami
Sep. 8 -- Maine
Sep. 15 -- at Northwestern
Sep. 22 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / BYE
Sep. 29 -- Clemson / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / at Wake Forest / BYE
Oct. 6 -- at Army
Oct. 13 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / at Wake Forest / BYE
Oct. 20 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / at Wake Forest / BYE
Oct. 27 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / at Wake Forest / BYE
Nov. 3 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / at Wake Forest / BYE
Nov. 10 -- Notre Dame
Nov. 17 -- Clemson / at Florida State / at Georgia Tech / Maryland / at N.C. State / BYE
Nov. 24 -- Maryland / at N.C. State / Virginia Tech