Three Boston College Opponents In Preseason Top 25; Four Also Receiving Votes

The preseason AP Top 25 was released yesterday afternoon, with defending national champion Ohio State tabbed as the unanimous favorite to repeat. The Buckeyes became the first ever unanimous selection in preseason poll history.

From a Boston College perspective, the interesting note is that three Eagles opponents made the top 25, while four more received votes. Florida State starts the year at #11, Notre Dame is #12 and Clemson is #13. In the also-receiving-votes category were Virginia Tech (42), Louisville (12), NC State (4) and Northern Illinois (2). The pollsters ranked Georgia Tech as #16 in the poll, making them the third-ranked ACC team by the AP.

While I continue to wonder what exactly NC State and Virginia Tech have done to be considered contenders for the top 25, the preseason list does put into stark focus the challenge BC faces trying to match its win total from a year ago. In order to make it to a bowl game, the Eagles will have to win at least two games from teams receiving votes in the AP Top 25 while going 5-0 against all the others. Can they do it?

Last year, BC also faced three opponents that were preseason top 25: #1 Florida State (L), #15 USC (W) and #16 Clemson (L). Teams receiving votes were Louisville (L), Virginia Tech (W) and Penn State (L).

Here's the complete Top 25:

Also receiving votes:

Mississippi St. 100, Texas A&M 61, Oklahoma St. 46, Virginia Tech 42, Utah 36, Penn St. 20, Louisville 12, Cincinnati 8, Nebraska 6, Kansas St. 5, Florida 4, NC St 4, Texas 3, BYU 2, Michigan 2, Northern Illinois 2, Cal 1, Western Kentucky 1, West Virginia 1.