Since the ACC expanded to 12 teams in 2005, the Boston College Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies have been the two most consistent teams in the conference. Since 2005, BC has only had one season in which they didn’t win at least nine games. That season came last year. The Eagles were picked last in the Atlantic division by many preseason magazines but wound up finishing with an 8-5 record. Not too shabby in a season where you had to replace your coach, your quarterback, and the heart and soul of your team at linebacker.
After surviving a nightmare in ’09, the Eagles should have a much easier time in 2010. They return eight starters on offense and six on defense (really that should be seven because I still consider Mark Herzlich a returning starter). Even though this team has a few question marks that still need answering, BC should be able to make a strong push in the ACC this season.
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One reason for that is their schedule. Boston College’s out of conference schedule is fairly light with a home game against Notre Dame being the only tester. In conference, they have Clemson, Virginia Tech, UVA, and Maryland at home with just NC State, FSU, Duke and Wake Forest on the road. BC avoids Georgia Tech, UNC, and Miami.
If Boston College can defend their home field, it’s almost a cakewalk to at least a 10-2 record, if not better. The only two conference games that stick out as potential losses are the home game against Virginia Tech and the road trip to Florida State.
Before I dive into the schedule anymore, let’s shift gears and dive into the team break down.
Best Player
Although Ryan Williams stole the show last year in conference, Montel Harris quietly put together one of the best seasons for a BC running back in recent memory. Harris ran for 1457 and 14 touchdowns, earning himself a spot on the 2nd All-ACC team. The only concern entering this season is whether or not Harris will have to carry the ball another 300-plus times this fall. With Josh Haden no longer with the program, Boston College will need somebody to help spell Harris every now and then.
Biggest Strength
Boston College has been known for their hard-nosed, blue-collar linebackers and this year will be no different. Luke Kuechly had a great rookie campaign in 2009, leading the team in total tackles with 158. Combine that type of player with Mark Herzlich, who returns for his senior seasons after spending the last year battling cancer, and Nick Clancy at outside linebacker and you have yourself one tough group.
Biggest Loss From 2009
Rich Gunnell seems like he’s been at Boston College since the Big East days but he has finally moved on, leaving a big void in BC’s passing attack. With sophomore Dave Shinksie returning at quarterback this fall, the Eagles will need to find a few more weapons for him to use in the passing attack. Colin Larmond Jr. had a solid season last year, catching 29 passes for 596 yards so he is a likely candidate but after that, tight end Chris Pantale was the only other returning target that caught more than 10 passes last season.
Biggest Weakness
Outside of finding some wide receivers to throw to, Boston College doesn’t really have a true weakness. Since I don’t feel like talking about the receivers anymore I’m going to focus on the defensive backs for this section. With Wes Davis returning at safety, the Eagles do get their leader back in the secondary. However, BC will have to replace Marcellus Bowman and corner Roderick Rollins this season. Right now, DeLeon Gause and Dominick LeGrande are the favorites to take over those jobs but neither of those players are All-ACC caliber yet. Boston College’s defensive backs are average but they just don’t scare me. With some senior QB’s on the schedule, this could be the one downfall of the team this year.
Best Incoming Freshman
Boston College doesn’t usually sign highly touted classes but they are good at finding hidden talents in their section of the country. A good example of that is Kevin Pierre-Lewis. According to Rivals.com, Pierre-Lewis committed to BC over offers from UVA, Stanford, and Duke. Although that’s not a gaudy offer list (at least athletically it isn’t, very nice academically), the Conneticut star has already made an impact at linebacker and could likely play some this fall. It’s these kinds of players that allow Boston College to keep racking up nine and 10 win seasons.
2010 Schedule
I gave an overview of Boston College’s schedule up above but we’ll go into in more detail here.
Boston College opens up with two cupcakes at home in Weber State and Kent State. After a bye week, the Eagles will face Virginia Tech on the 25th in Boston.
BC’s home stretch continues into October when Notre Dame comes to town on October 2nd. The Eagles will spend the next two weeks on the road at NC State and at Florida State before coming home to face Maryland and Clemson to round out the month of October.
Despite having three road games in just four weeks, the month of November should be a fairly easy road to hoe compared to October. The Eagles start off with trips to Wake Forest and Duke before playing UVA on senior day. After Thanksgiving, Boston College will conclude their regular season against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.
2010 Schedule Prediction: 10-2
I’ll be honest; when I first put together this list I had Boston College sixth. However, after looking at their schedule I just think this year has another VT vs. BC rematch in the title game kind of feel to it. The Eagles will need to take care of business at home against Clemson and Maryland. They’ll also need to beat Florida State, NC State, and Wake Forest on the road to make it to Charlotte. However, that is doable. FSU is good but their not the FSU of old and with Boston College’s defense, anything is possible.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
That was probably the most accurate BC writeup I have seen including ESPN, RIVALs etc
Thank you sir!
Ryan Williams stole the show last year? I think you meant CJ Spiller
Nope. Ryan Williams is a better running back than CJ Spiller. Ryan stole the show because nobody expected him to come out and shatter numerous ACC and School records like he did. Honestly, Spiller was a good RB but he was just a better athlete than everybody else.
I’m interested to see if any of his skills will translate to the NFL level because we’ve seen a running back similar to him win a Heisman than fall flat in the NFL (Reggie Bush).
I think you are spot on with the DB’s being an issue on the defensive side and with the recent injuries to the WRs, you will see the ball being run more and some of the true freshman stepping up.