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It was a pipe dream to think that Boston College was going to be ranked after clobbering an overmatched FCS team. But the Eagles taking care of business on Saturday was good enough to move them up in the “Others Receiving Votes” category, with total votes increasing from 31 to 45. That is good enough for #28 in the country, with the opportunity for the Eagles to prove they belong against Wake Forest this Thursday.
Beating the Demon Deacons will probably not be enough on its own. Steve Addazio’s squad will need a little help. So here are a few games to keep an eye on.
Remember: We are still early on in the season, where poll inertia is still strong enough to keep some teams in the AP Rankings despite little evidence of their merit (cough cough Michigan State). At the end of the day, all that matters is that the Eagles keep on winning.
Games to Watch This Week:
#17 Boise State @ #24 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys take on the boys in blue this Saturday in Stillwater. Depending on how this game goes, either team could get dropped from the rankings (and open up a spot for the Eagles). The Broncos routed UConn last week and put up over 800 yards of total offense, a trend that may continue when you consider that the Big 12 doesn’t play defense.
Who to root for: Boise State
#22 USC @ Texas
It’s a clash of two perennially over ranked teams in Austin, though if the Longhorns win this one I have to imagine that they would get re-ranked on name brand alone, (after all, Blue Bloods have to look out for one-another). Texas always has some WTF wins each year, and this could be one.
Who to root for: I refuse to say Texas, so just hope each team embarrasses themselves that no writer can justify ranking either team.
#25 Michigan State @ This Week’s Media Cycle
Twitter is currently abuzz about the fact that Mark Dantonio is 14-13 in his last 27 games at Michigan State, and the sad fact of life is that these perceptions matter to voters (see: Wisconsin, who has won by 31 points in consecutive weeks and dropped in the rankings both time). Those on the outside of the rankings (Texas A&M, BC, Utah) might displace the Spartans if they put up big wins this week.