So, as you may or may not know, my new team to rail on in college football is Boston College. Refer to my post from last week for the main reasons why. Basically, it boils down to this: I don't care that they are undefeated, when they beat a bunch of bottom-of-the-barrel teams. Oh and barely squeak out a lucky win against a top ten opponent last week. People, Hawaii may have a tougher schedule. Pretty weak, if you ask me.
Chris Fowler, ESPN college football guru, agrees with me. Not surprising. Here's what he had to say. I post it here to add validity to why I will be hating on Boston College for pretty much the rest of the season. Or until they lose a game.
Boston College is a legit title contender. Matt Ryan is more than a legit Heisman co-front runner. But BC is not, in my opinion, the second best team in the nation at the moment. My AP ballot reflects that. I am voting BC at No. 6, behind Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma and Arizona State.
So, start ranting and raving, Eagles fans. Demand to know why I am "hating" on your team! Shout about the relative weakness of Ohio State's schedule and how the Tigers, Ducks, and Sooners all lost to teams that are now unranked. You will never be convinced that there is not some bias on my part against your team.
Except you are wrong. I admire what Jeff Jagodzinski and his staff have done this year. The Eagles have faced a quirky, weird schedule and survived and advanced. Opening with three conference games gave the new staff no chance to break in gently. Then, the bizarre departure from ACC play for four straight games put BC in a tough spot last Thursday, when it faced perhaps their toughest ACC challenge all year and had to quickly readjust to the speed of Virginia Tech. No coach would want to open with three league games, step out for four, then return for a tough road game. But "Jags" never complained.
The Eagles can thank Ryan for the escape from Blacksburg, of course. He was unsettled and inaccurate for about 56 minutes, then authoritative and poised for the last four, calling his own plays in the two-minute offense.
They also can thank a very fortunate bounce off the hands of Tech's Josh Morgan on the onsides kick that allowed the winning drive to take place. Morgan's spot on the "hands" team might be in jeopardy after that one!
Now don't start hollering again. I am not trying to cheapen a great victory. I just might view games differently than some people (and maybe most coaches). I might evaluate the importance and meaning of a win based on how a team achieved that win. Computers can't do that. Pollsters still can, if they choose to.
So there you go. I really hope that BC loses to Florida State this week, and all this BC-in-the-national-title-game hogwash disappears finally. I will be paying special attention to my TV this weekend hoping to witness just that.
