(The fourth of 12 ACC team previews)
Every year, Boston College is generally considered an afterthought in the ACC --- good for a fight, but not necessarily for a spot in the conference title race.
Every year, the Eagles win eight games (or at least for 10 of the last 11 seasons, anyway) and stay in at least the division title hunt deep into November.
Consider that Boston College and Virginia Tech are the only teams in the conference to post winning records in league play five years running. Ultimately, the Eagles will be there in the end.
Sure, in the preseason they might be taking the role of Betty to Florida State's Veronica. But just because Boston College looks and often plays like a Big Ten team, it doesn't mean they will not surpass the usually tame expectations.
This is one case where fans are decidedly ahead of media types. While it can still be argued Boston College is an unusual fit in the ACC (and it is), the steady Eagles have made the conference better in football. And that was a big part of why they were invited (well, that and all those TV sets in Boston).
As usual, BC isn't picked to win the division (they were tabbed to finish third); that just means the Eagles will be first or second before everything is through.
When we last saw them ... : Boston College was the last ACC team picked for a bowl game and wound up in San Francisco facing the remnants of the Southern California dynasty of the Aughts. Even though the Trojans were more like a tropical depression than the Category 5-like juggernaut of the middle of the decade, Boston College headed home with a 24-13 loss.
It was the fifth time in the season's last six games the Eagles failed to crack 20 points. For the season, it happened seven times. Needless to say, it reflected an obvious truth: The Eagles' staunch defense wasn't just impressive. It was a necessity.
Still, Boston College's most recognizable face became even more well-known without even playing a snap. Mark Herzlich's cancer treatments were the dominant storyline of the season, and it would be a challenge for most folks who don't follow the Eagles on a regular basis to provide too many details about the team's 2009 season before getting to the Herzlich storyline. Wins, losses and bowl trips are fuzzy details in comparison.
Biggest question: Scoring points. That seems like an odd thing to assert for a team with a strong offensive line (including a star in left tackle Anthony Castonzo) and a tailback (Montel Harris) already among the top 10 in rushing yards in school history.
Yet somehow --- mainly because of an adequate-at-best passing game --- Boston College found itself in close games late in the season against the likes of Maryland and Virginia.
So what's different?
Well, the top wideout (Rich Gunnell) is gone. The No. 2 wideout (Colin Larmond Jr.) is done for the year. And the quarterback situation (Dave Shinskie, already more than halfway to his AARP card at age 26) is modestly but not overwhelmingly better.
That means there will be a lot of Harris, which will work fine if he gets to face N.C. State every game. But some teams can actually figure out how to contain the run, and those sorts of opponents will probably vex BC this season.
Biggest asset: Linebackers. Rather than dip into the Big Bag of Sportswriters and drop "gritty" and "inspirational" to describe Herzlich, how about a more accurate depiction. He was absurdly good as a junior in 2008, earning ACC defensive player of the year honors while brilliantly playing off the skills of two run-clogging defensive tackles.
How well he can play without B.J. Raji and Ron Brace --- never mind the comeback from cancer or the broken foot hobbling him during camp --- is probably the more interesting X-and-O question. Here's guessing someone as smart as Herzlich will do just fine when he does return to the lineup.
But the Eagles have more than Herzlich. There's also Luke Kuechly, who had 158 tackles a year ago while stepping in for Herzlich.
Typically, Boston College has enough strong, system-oriented players in the front seven to cobble together a stingy defense. It won't be any different this year.
Best case: Shinskie and some combination of receivers progress enough to make Boston College's offense multidimensional in league play, the defense does its usual stout job and the Eagles outlast Clemson and Florida State to reach the ACC title game for the third time in four seasons --- probably with a record around 9-3. A win sends them to the Orange Bowl. A setback means the Eagles better figure out the best way to get to El Paso, since the Sun Bowl is obligated to take the ACC championship game loser if available.
Worst case: The defense doesn't create enough turnovers and the passing game proves feeble if no reliable medium-to-deep targets emerge. Harris slogs along and produces a decent season, but his yards per carry decreases as teams focus on the obvious running calls the Eagles make. With the help of a favorable schedule both in conference and out, BC goes 7-5 (6-6 at worst) and gets an invitation to the Independence or EagleBank bowls.
Where we'll see them in three months: Probably in the eight-win neighborhood.
Boston College is a team with enough strengths and a consistent enough philosophy that it would require an extended series of unfortunate events for the bottom to fall out. If going 8-5 despite the circus heading into last year demonstrated anything, it's that Boston College enjoys a superb foundation.
At the same time, the Eagles just aren't built to engage in many high-scoring games, and they'll face four teams in a row in the first half of the season (Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, N.C. State, Florida State) that would ideally like to do exactly that.
The thing is, the second half of the schedule is immensely welcoming. Maryland, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia and Syracuse (combined 2009 record: 19-41) await after Oct. 23, along with a visit from Clemson.
Boston College will be the stalking horse in the conference title chase. The schedule affords the opportunity to creep back into contention even if there are losses early against Virginia Tech and Florida State.
Would 5-3 in the division be enough for a trip to Charlotte? Perhaps. How about 6-2? Probably. The Eagles typically makes the most of their opportunities while staying true to who they are, and following that path will probably keep them relevant for much of the season.
Does anyone see it coming? Some folks do; certainly more than last year. Understandably, no one expects much style, since even Harris at his best is a workmanlike back. Not so understandably, Boston College's substance will be ignored by some. Do so at your own peril.
Comments