Weekly Kickoff: Boston College vs. Georgia Tech

It’s finally here: game week.

Enthusiasm might be tempered compared to previous years due to the complete dumpster fire that was last season. But either way, it’s always exciting to be on the precipice of a new season, and everything that it entails.

For Boston College, the tone for their entire season will be set this Saturday in Dublin. This isn’t your semi-annual week one layup in front of 30,000 at Alumni Stadium; the Eagles and their revamped coaching staff get thrown right in to the ACC fire and will be looking at this as one of their winnable “toss up” games.

Nobody really has any idea what to expect. BC starts as a 3.5 point underdog, which sounds about right. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Eagles a 49.4% chance of winning.

Uncertainty makes it fun, right?

Either that, or we’ll all be going back to bed by 9 AM (except for those of us who are making the trip).

This Week’s Top Three Storylines

#1: The Starting Quarterback: Steve Addazio has yet to name his starting quarterback, but is widely expected to do so at this afternoon’s press conference at 12 PM. This morning’s practice should be the beginning of the process of game planning around whoever is selected.

The smart money would have to be on Patrick Towles to get the reins (Harambe dedication nonwithstanding). That said, Darius Wade has kept himself in the conversation and will be there as a viable option should Towles continue the accuracy struggles that occasionally plagued him in the preseason scrimmages.

Either way, our hope is that after last year’s carousel fiasco, BC picks a quarterback, gameplans around him appropriately, and gives their game plan a chance to succeed. No more rotating.

#2: Stopping the Option: This is, of course, always the big question when you face Georgia Tech, and you should expect a lot of questions lobbed at Addazio about this topic.

Boston College’s run defense against all types of running plays has been lights out for the last few years, but will that continue without Don Brown? Many of us remember a not-too-distant past when the option was one of BC’s achilles heels on D. Let’s hope we don’t see a return to those days in Dublin.

#3: Adjusting to the travel and the hoopla: With a game that’s so hard to predict, it’s entirely possible that the winner will be determined by which team prepares properly for the travel and the hoopla: getting adjusted to the time zones, blocking out the distractions, and getting fired up to play thousands of miles from home in a neutral venue. How well can the BC staff prepare the team for these challenges?

Songs of the Week

#1. Gaelic Storm - Don’t Go For The One

Get in the mood for Dublin with Grant’s favorite Irish drinking song.

#2. The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap

To the extent that people know about the Boomtown Rats at all in the US, they probably only know “I Don’t Like Mondays.” In Ireland, they have a bit more notoriety, as this band from just outside of Dublin became the first Irish band to top the UK charts with “Rat Trap.”

#3: Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

For no other reason than that they’re Irish, it’s Dublin week, and Thin Lizzy is great.

Random Irish Dish I’d Never Heard Of Until I Was Looking Stuff Up on Wikipedia

Boxty - basically a potato pancake, often served with beef and vegetables. See you Friday, Dublin!