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Fortune Teller: 2009 Bowl Predictions (Part 1)

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:16:14 -0000

For the third straight year, we preview the upcoming college football postseason. Here are our picks for bowls 1-17, which takes you from the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque to El Paso, Texas for the Sun Bowl.

Leave your thoughts on any of the first 17 matchups below.

New Mexico (December 19)

Matchup: Fresno State (8-4) vs. Wyoming (6-6)
The Line: Fresno State -11.5

The Lead: Wyoming makes only its second trip to a bowl this decade while Fresno State makes its 9th bowl appearance in the last 10 years. Fresno State returns to New Mexico for the second straight year (losing to Colorado State 40-35 last year).

Brian Pick: Fresno State -11.5
Jeff Pick: Wyoming +11.5

St. Petersburg presented by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s (December 19)

Matchup: UCF (8-4) vs. Rutgers (8-4)
The Line: Rutgers -2.5

The Lead: Rutgers just making a bowl game game is no longer exciting for their players and fans who had higher hopes coming into this season than to finish 3-4 in the Big East. UCF meanwhile will be playing less than three hours from their campus and should be thrilled to be there.

Jeff Pick: UCF +2.5
Brian Pick: Rutgers -2.5

R + L Carrier New Orleans (December 20)

Matchup: Southern Miss (7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee (9-3)
The Line: Southern Miss -3.5

The Lead: Southern Miss returns to the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight year. Last year, Southern Miss blocked a field goal in overtime to defeat Troy 30-27 in one of the more entertaining 2008 bowl games. Middle Tennessee State is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 6 straight and reaching the 9 win plateau for the first time since joining Division I-A in 1999. Southern Miss has a perfect 3-0 record in the New Orleans Bowl.

Brian Pick: Southern Miss -3.5
Jeff Pick: Southern Miss -3.5

MAACO Las Vegas (December 22)

Matchup: Oregon State (8-4) vs. BYU (10-2)
The Line: Oregon State -2.5

The Lead: BYU was on top of the world after beating Oklahoma to start the season. Oregon State was on top of the college football world in the final Thursday night of the season when playing Oregon for the Pac-10 title. Things didn't work out as either team had hoped from those points on though and they both fell to the pre-Christmas Las Vegas Bowl. Oregon State has plenty to prove though as they attempt to beat BYU, TCU and Boise State in the next 11 months and serve as the non-BCS school killer.

Jeff Pick: Oregon State -2.5
Brian Pick: Oregon State -2.5

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia (December 23)

Matchup: Utah (9-3) vs. California (8-4)
The Line: California -3

The Lead: With BC losing to Vanderbilt last season, Utah now owns the longest active winning streak in bowl games, having won their last 8 games including last year’s Sugar Bowl over Alabama. Cal is riding a seven game streak for bowl apperances, the longest in school history.

Brian Pick: Utah +3
Jeff Pick: Utah +3

Sheraton Hawaii (December 24)

Matchup: Nevada (8-4) vs. SMU (7-5)
The Line: Nevada -15

The Lead: This game features a very good WAC team against a very good C-USA team but does that mean that they are actually good teams? It's tough to say. Neither team has a very impressive win this season and both seemed to lose all their games when they had opportunities to prove themselves. Will anyone watch the Christmas Eve game in Hawaii? Other than Brian?

Jeff Pick: SMU +15
Brian Pick: Nevada -15

Little Caesars (December 26)

Matchup: Marshall (6-6) vs. Ohio (9-4)
The Line: Ohio -2.5

The Lead: This game renews a rivalry game between the two schools located only 80 miles apart. Ohio and Marshall used to compete in the Battle for the Bell which is set to be renewed in 2010. Ohio leads the all-time series 29-17-6, however Marshall has won 8 of the last 10 matchups between the two geographic neighbors.

Brian Pick: Ohio -2.5
Jeff Pick: Ohio -2.5

Meineke Car Care (December 26)

Matchup: Pittsburgh (9-3) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
The Line: Pittsburgh -3

The Lead: What a disappointing finish to the season for Pittsburgh. Pitt lost to their backyard brawl rival West Virginia before losing to Cincinnati in a de-facto Big East Championship game. The Panthers led the entire game against Cincinnati but could not finish so now instead of the Orange Bowl they get a trip to Charlotte to play North Carolina in a "road" bowl game. Good luck getting your team fired up for this one, Dave!

Jeff Pick: North Carolina +3
Brian Pick: Pittsburgh -3

Emerald (December 26)

Matchup: Boston College (8-4) vs. USC (8-4)
The Line: USC -9

The Lead: The 8-4 Eagles travel to San Francisco for the second time this decade to take on the 8-4 USC Trojans. This is the first time in seven years that USC hasn’t played in a BCS bowl game (5 Rose Bowls, 2 Orange Bowls). Good news for the Eagles is the last time Pete Carroll found himself in a non-BCS bowl game, the Trojans lost 10-6 to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. You don't think we would pick against BC now, do you?

Brian Pick: Boston College +9
Jeff Pick: Boston College +9

Gaylor Hotels Music City (December 27)

Matchup: Kentucky (7-5) vs. Clemson (8-5)
The Line: Clemson -7.5

The Lead: If Boston College's 2008 performance in the Music City Bowl is any indication of how Clemson might play this year after the disappointing ACC Championship Game, it's is going to be tough to watch for Tiger fans. But after losing to South Carolina, the ACC really doesn't need Clemson, or any of its top programs, to lose to mediocre SEC teams. Clemson ticket sales for the bowl have been soft but hopefully Dabo can rally this team to victory.

Jeff Pick: Kentucky +7.5
Brian Pick: Clemson -7.5

AdvoCare V100 Independence (December 28)

Matchup: Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Georgia (7-5)
The Line: Georgia -7

The Lead: Georgia wraps up an otherwise disappointing, up-and-down season in Shreveport, Louisiana. For every quality win for UGA, there seemed to be an equally puzzling loss this year. Defeat Arkansas, get crushed at Tennessee. Defeat Auburn, lose to Kentucky at home, come back and defeat in-state rival Georgia Tech. Texas A&M has had a similar up-and-down season, but seemingly backed into the postseason having lost 3 of their last 4 games.

Brian Pick: Georgia -7
Jeff Pick: Georgia -7

EagleBank (December 29)

Matchup: UCLA (6-6) vs. Temple (9-3)
The Line: UCLA -4

The Lead: UCLA had to wait to see the result of the Army-Navy game before getting officially invited to this bowl game. In the bowl's second season, I don't imagine that their will be much hype this year compared to last year's geographically favorable matchup of Wake Forest vs. Navy. Look for Temple to surprise some people and possibly knock off a BCS school in this one.

Jeff Pick: Temple +4
Brian Pick: Temple +4

Champs Sports (December 29)

Matchup: Miami (Fla.) (9-3) vs. Wisconsin (9-3)
The Line: Miami -3

The Lead: This year’s Champs Sports Bowl is a matchup of 9-3 ranked teams. Both teams are coming off strong finishes, each winning 4 of their final 5 games. Wisconsin finished the season with a 51-10 drubbing of Hawaii on the road, while Miami took care of USF 31-10. Miami is 2-0 all-time in the Champs Sports Bowl. Wisconsin played in Orlando last season, losing to Florida State 42-13. This is the last year the Big 10 will be represented in this bowl as the Big East will send a team to face an ACC opponent starting next season.

Brian Pick: Miami -3
Jeff Pick: Miami -3

Roady’s Humanitarian (December 30)

Matchup: Bowling Green (8-5) vs. Idaho (7-5)
The Line: Idaho +1.5

The Lead: Another game that might set an attendance record this season but not the kind of record that you want to be setting if you are putting this bowl together. Boise fans might already be on their way to the Fiesta Bowl so even getting a few locals to come out for this game will be difficult. Bowling Green has a pretty good WR, and Idaho plays home games in a dome. That's all I have for this one.

Jeff Pick: Bowling Green -1.5
Brian Pick: Idaho +1.5

Pacific Life Holiday (December 30)

Matchup: Arizona (8-4) vs. Nebraska (9-4)
The Line: Arizona -1.5

The Lead: Arizona - having defeated the Trojans 21-17 to move to 6-3 in conference - will represent the Pac-10 as its #2 team in the Holiday Bowl. Nebraska won the Big 12 North, finishing the season at 9-4, 6-2 in conference. The Cornhuskers are coming off a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Brian Pick: Arizona -1.5
Jeff Pick: Nebraska +1.5

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces (December 31)

Matchup: Houston (10-3) vs. Air Force (7-5)
The Line: Houston -4.5

The Lead: The mighty Houston Cougars who knocked off Oklahoma State at home are only 4.5 point favorites against Air Force? Oh right, we later found out that Oklahoma State was not nearly as good as anyone thought the would be and failed to make a push for a BCS bowl by nearly losing to Colorado and then getting destroyed by Oklahoma to end the season. Air Force had another nice season but only managed a 1-5 record against bowl bound teams this season.

Jeff Pick: Air Force +4.5
Brian Pick: Houston -4.5

Brut Sun (December 31)

Matchup: Oklahoma (7-5) vs. Stanford (8-4)
The Line: Oklahoma -8

The Lead: This should be an intriguing matchup between the unstoppable force (Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and the 15th ranked Stanford Cardinal offense) and the immovable object (Oklahoma's 7th ranked defense). Oklahoma has had an otherwise disappointing season, that is, up until they put a 27-0 hurtin' on in-state rival Oklahoma State in Bedlam. Stanford may or may not be playing without the services of starting freshman quarterback Andrew Luck.

Brian Pick: Stanford +8
Jeff Pick: Oklahoma -8

Headlines: Is Skinner's Job Safe?

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:12:10 -0000

More photos » by Tony Ding - AP

Skinner has the Eagles off to their worst start since the 2003-2004 season. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

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Brian: After the Harvard loss, I was frustrated but still willing to give Al Skinner the benefit of the doubt. Now with back-to-back home losses to mid-majors, I’m starting to question my previous position. For the second straight game, the Eagles came out flat … this time falling to Rhode Island 80-69.

Make no mistake about it. Rhode Island is a good team and can certainly make some noise in the Atlantic 10 and the postseason. But the Eagles came out flat, uninspired and lacked hustle. URI shot 50% from the floor including 9 of 15 from 3-point range. Rams guard Keith Cothran led the way with 19 points, while Rakim Sanders paced the Eagles with 14 points in his first game back.

In the last four years, BC has now lost to:

2006-2007: Vermont, Duquesne
2007-2008: Robert Morris
2008-2009: Harvard
2009-2010: Saint Joseph’s, Harvard, Rhode Island

At 6-4, the Eagles are off to their worst start since 2003-2004 (a season they finished 18-11 and bowed out in the second round of the N.I.T.). Going back to the better Skinner teams over the past 9 years - 20-0 to start 2004-2005 season and the 2005-2006 team - it didn't seem like there were these type of letdown games coming from the Eagles. In recent seasons, however, BC has been dropping games to mid-major non-conference teams at an alarming clip.

Dropping games like these starts with how the players execute, but coaching preparation has to be part of the problem. So my question is this. Given the uptick in curious non-conference losses the past couple of seasons, Is Skinner’s job still safe in your book?

Jeff: I don't think Skinner would ever lose his job over a road or neutral site loss. So let's eliminate the 2006 Duquesne loss and this year's Saint Joseph's loss for a second. If you do that the Harvard and Rhode Island losses might not turn out to be too terrible considering Rhode Island is 8-1 and Harvard is currently 7-2 and both have top 60 RPIs. Both teams may very well be on their way to the NCAA tournament and no matter how highly you regard the BC athletics program and the men's basketball program, BC has never been and will never be a program where losing to NCAA tournament bound teams at home is grounds for losing your job as head coach.

I understand many BC fans are upset with the basketball team's performance early on this season, but we can't forget that one of our best players has been injured and our team is not all that deep. As hard as it is to imagine the Eagles rattling off a string of wins in ACC play right now, the Eagles should be able to get healthy, comfortable with each other, and still finish with a winning conference record. 9-7 or better in the ACC gets you serious consideration for the tournament, no matter what you did out of conference.

Brian: Attendance was abysmal last night. While it probably looked worse on TV than it actually was, there were still tons of empty seats in Conte Forum. All reports are that Rhode Island brought a strong fan contingent and were louder than the BC faithful that showed up for the game. This year, BC didn’t have any study days and start finals tomorrow. The official attendance was 4,263 but my guess is maybe half of that actually showed up. At one point, I counted all of 7 Superfans sitting underneath the baskets on one side.

Who’s to blame for the poor attendance?

Jeff: Attendance is usual a GDF problem. He is the only one to blame for selling season ticket packages that go unused. As for student attendance, this is no new issue. However, let me give the students a pass for the Rhode Island game considering it was a Sunday night game with finals starting the next morning. That's terrible scheduling for the student-athletes and the student fans. I'm actually glad to see, as a BC grad, that students were concerned with preparing for exams and not at the game Sunday night.

It's an active Sunday for the A-10

SFBE.NF — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:35:48 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

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No "Lazy Sunday" SNL Digital Short to show here, Sunday was busy for the Atlantic 10 as both Temple and Xavier defeated ranked opponents - who also double as their in-market rivals - and Rhode Island traveled up to Boston and nipped the wings of the BC Eagles.

In the 'Nati, tempers flared. I blame the chili. Many forget about how great this rivalry between the Musketeers and Bearcats are, but last night featured thrown elbows, in-fighting, and the first double OT contest in the 77 year history of the annual event. Xavier wins 83-79. And thank god. Maybe ESPN should consider not burying this game on ESPNU during a Sunday night. It's the first big win for new head coach Chris Mack, who still has a lot of work to do in curbing the ego and erratic play of his offensive star, Jordan Crawford.

Temple may have their first South American star since the Pepe Sanchez era, as Juan Fernandez scored 33 in a win over Nova, handing the WIldcats their first loss of the season. The Owls led nearly all of the second half, relying on the three ball. As players shook hands and walked off the court, Temple undergrads shouted "We Want Kansas," in reference to their January 2nd match-up against the top ranked Jayhawks. Yeah, I think I'll tune in for that.

Around the ACC: 12.14

MRickman84 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:30:19 -0000

Photo by Bob Hebert

Not much to report here as only three teams were in action yesterday. BC continued their slide and Clemson won their 27th straight meeting over Furman. And of course we all know the Wake results.

So let's run down yesterday's games...

Wake Forest 90, Elon 50

I don't throw this phrase out often, but Wake dominated. Everyone contributed, including Gary Clark (6-6), Ty Walker (4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block and a couple good outlet passes). LD had a good game with 10 points and 5 rebounds and the freshmen dazzled again. Ari Stewart dropped 16 on 6-10 shooting and C.J. Harris had nine, four and four. I'll be discussing this later in the week, but Mount Ari is making his case to be inserted in the starting lineup. And I'll give my reasons then. Wake takes on UNC-W on Wednesday.

Clemson 82, Furman 53

Trevor Booker went 12-15 with 25 points and 14 rebounds (Babe!) and Demontez Stitt tossed in 9 points and 6 assists as Clemson ran away with this thing. The Tigers shot 53.8% and held Furman to 29%, forcing 26 points with 15 steals. When Clemson gets their swarming defense going, it is really hard to beat. Colin Reddick led Furman with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Rhode Island 80, BC 69

BC's slide continues. After losing to Harvard, Boston College shot just 17.6% from beyond the arc, while URI shot 50% from distance. Corey Raji had a double-double and Biko Paris had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists in the loss. BC now has 4 losses on the year and lost Tyler Roche in the game. URI was led by Keith Coleman's 19 points.

Turning Attention to Rhode Island and the Big Finish

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:03:52 -0000

Brian: BC doesn’t have long to dwell on their second straight upset loss to Harvard as they host 7-1 Rhode Island on Sunday. The Rams certainly won’t be pushovers. URI has already defeated their in-state rivals Providence 86-82 this season, and their lone loss on the year was a 82-80 setback to a very good Virginia Commonwealth team. Last night, the Rams defeated Northeastern 79-76. Rhode Island has averaged 81.0 points per game and are giving up 71.1.

Do you expect the Eagles to rebound and get back in the win column on Sunday?

Jeff: Yikes. I don't know. The Eagles should have held on to beat Harvard on Wednesday so hopefully they can at least take 1 of 2 on the week. URI is probably as good as Harvard and might be a little better. Rhode Island is probably the second toughest team the Eagles have played this season with Northern Iowa being the best (if you believe RPI rankings this early into the season). I certainly want to see the Eagles bounce back but looking at the two teams' shared opponent - Providence - and the rest of URI's schedule so far this year, I see BC struggling to get the victory on Sunday. I'll say I barely expect the Eagles to win Saturday.

Brian: Just like Harvard, Rhode Island is led by star senior guard Keith Cothran. Cothran has averaged 17 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game in the Rams first 8 games. Against Quinnipiac, Cothran went a ridiculous 10-of-11 shooting, and finished with a season-high 21 points. If the Eagles hope to win, they better play better defense against Cothran and limit the damage he can inflict on offense. BC did a good job of limiting Harvard's Jeremy Lin in the first half, but Lin went off on the second half en route to another big day against the Eagles.

A few days ago, FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman reported that Rakim Sanders will be back in the lineup Sunday. What impact do you expect him to have on the game?

Jeff: Rakim Sanders should be back in the lineup but I don't know if he'll be 100% his first game back and if the team benefits greatly from his return in just his first game back. I wouldn't have minded a game against a weaker opponent in his first game back but am looking forward to another nationally televised BC basketball game.

Big Finish

Brian: Next year, the ACC Championship Game runner-up can now no longer fall further than the No. 4 bowl (the Sun Bowl) and no bowl can circumvent the "one-loss" rule. Your thoughts?

Jeff: I told you a new rule would come from the Gator Bowl's antics this season.

Jeff: BC hockey defeated Harvard 3-2 on Wednesday to push their unbeaten streak to 6 games. Do the Eagles keep things rolling Saturday at Providence?

Brian: Yes. This is a case of two teams going in opposite directions. Providence has lost three straight and will likely lose their fourth straight tonight against New Hampshire.

Brian: Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly was named Charlie Weis’ successor at Notre Dame. Your thoughts on the hire?

Jeff: I like our chances against Notre Dame next year, but he was the right man for the job.

Jeff: As someone who will be attending the Emerald Bowl, how pissed are you that the BC band will not be there?

Brian: I'm not pissed, just really sad for the BC band members. They deserve a reward for the season as much as the players do. Hoping GDF will see the negative press this decision is generating and change his mind.

Brian: The ACC Championship Game drew a mere 1.9 rating on Saturday night, down 35% from last year’s 2.9 rating. Your thoughts?

Jeff: Last year it was a worst case scenario for ticket sales and this year it was a worst case scenario for TV ratings. Both teams losing their final regular season games and the Big 12 Championship game being so close certainly didn't help.

Jeff: HD answers the question, will the ACC break .500 in bowl games? Your thoughts?

Brian: She points to BC-USC as being the most difficult win for the conference. I say even without a BC W, if the conference can't go 4-2 in its remaining games, I'll be very disappointed.

Brian: Last one, the Heisman Trophy presentation is Saturday. Who you got winning the award?

Jeff: Colt McCoy.

Headlines: Harvard 74, Boston College 67

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:45:22 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Tommy Amaker was 0-1 against BC while head coach at Michigan. At Harvard, he is 2-0. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Brian: Last year left you scratching your head. This year? I'm pretty much speechless. Harvard took down Boston College 74-67 for their second win in as many years against the Eagles. The Eagles led at half but were outscored by 9 in the second half to fall to 6-3 on the season. From what I could gather watching the Gamecast, BC's defense was abysmal as they allowed the Crimson to shoot better than 50% from the field in the second half. Jeremy Lin again led the way, scoring 25 points in the victory. BC, on the other hand, finished the game shooting 37.5 percent. The team was actually shooting 46 percent at halftime, so that puts their field goal percentage in the second half probably in the 20s.

If BC hadn’t already lost to Saint Joseph’s and Northern Iowa in the Virgin Islands, we might be able to forgive this loss. However, the Eagles are now a pedestrian 6-3 on the early season, and suddenly games against Massachusetts and South Carolina look like virtual must-wins. So where do the Eagles go from here? Fan interest in this year’s basketball season will certainly suffer as a result of 3 early losses to mid-majors, right?

Jeff: Last year left you scratching your head. This year there's an excuse. Actually two excuses. I would say first that the loss last year clearly had a residual effect on the team this year. Once again the team was coming off of a televised ACC win and was looking ahead to another televised game coming up. Once things starting turning Harvards way in the second half, the Eagles probably got nervous that the same embarrassing loss would happen again as happened last year. Sure enough, it did.

The bigger excuse the Eagles have this year is that they are missing a key starter in Rakim Sanders. Sanders might even be the Eagles best player so while I am bummed about the loss, I am actually not overly concerned. Last year the Harvard game was a huge trap game after beating No. 1 ranked North Carolina and this year the injured Rakim Sanders and the game falling once again after an ACC game at least gives the team some good excuses. BC had already drastically hurt their non-conference resume by what happened in the Virgin Islands and you couldn't have expected them to win out between that debacle and our next conference game. The team will get right back to trying to win the next game in front of them and then trying to finish top 4 in the ACC so they can get a bye in the ACC Tournament. Fans, however, will jump off the deep end after this loss for unknown reasons. This is college basketball, not college football. Teams can rack up some early season losses, especially in untelevised games, and still recover to make the tournament. Just look at the 2008-09 Eagles.

Brian: I am much less forgiving that you are. I just don’t buy into these excuses. Ok, maybe last year’s loss had an effect on this year’s squad in some sort of a bizarro vicious cycle where BC lost the lead in the second half and then psyched themselves into the pain and embarrassment that is losing to Harvard for the second straight season. Maybe.

Not having Rakim Sanders on the floor, however, is not an excuse. The Eagles had Rakim Sanders (and Tyrese Rice) last year and they couldn’t beat Harvard. This year, BC was coming off an impressive three game winning streak without Sanders where they beat teams straight-up better than Harvard in more hostile environments. I get that games like this against Boston-area programs are like the NCAA Title Game for a program like Harvard, but still don’t think this is an excuse for dropping to Harvard two years running.

I would be more forgiving of this loss and be pleading for fan patience like you if this was an isolated incident. But this seems to be a chronic condition for the Eagles. Over the last nine seasons, BC has dropped early non-conference games to Harvard (x2), Robert Morris, Vermont, Duquesne, Kent State and Northeastern at an alarming clip of about 1 a season. I realize we are seeing major conference programs get snake-bitten more and more in the early season (Wisconsin Green Bay just took down Wisconsin in OT last night), but among the more successful major conference teams, you don’t expect this to happen. If you do, you certainly don’t expect this to happen at the rate of once a season.

I’m not asking for a trip to the Sweet 16 every season, but I don’t think it is unrealistic for fans to expect this program to take care of the little guys in the early season on a consistent basis. Especially locally area teams where bragging rights are at stake. BC plays in the best college basketball conference in the country and has every resource at their disposal. I, for one, don’t blame fans for jumping off the deep end after losses like this.

Jeff: I think the point that I wanted to make about excuses is that this team has more and better excuses this year than last year. Knowing that this same group of players plays best against the best (defeating North Carolina and Duke last year) and worst against teams not even sniffing the top 25, why are we surprised?

Boston College should be able to take care of the little guys, which has been the M.O. of Clemson the past few years. Start the season 20-0 and eventually not make the NCAA Tournament or lose in the first round. However, this group of players is clearly not that type. For better or worse the Eagles play better in big games. Period. Which would you rather have - the Eagles defeating every team with an RPI of 50+ and beat no top 20 teams? Or lose to some RPI 100+ teams but also beat some top ten teams? This team is not good enough to win them all.

Brian: Again, personally as a fan, I don't think it is unrealistic to expect BC to achieve a little of A) and a little of B) - beating every team with an RPI 100+ and throwing in a few Top 25 upsets here and there. However, answering your question with the best interest of the BC basketball program in mind, I'm not sure the answer is as cut and dry. Certainly knocking off North Carolina and Duke helps put butts in seats and establishes more school interest in the program. But it may very well be the case that the negative effect on fan interest after losing to programs like Harvard and Northeastern is greater than the positive effect created when BC beats a Top 25 program later in the season.

12/9 Game Links

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:14:49 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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Is Harvard the tops in the Hub? Crimson down BC for second straight season

'Nova prevails in the Palestra

Badgers are tough at home, mere mortals elsewhere

Oral Roberts slips past Mizzou

Utah tops Meeeeechigan, Wolverines off to terrible start

ACC Power Rankings: 12.8

MRickman84 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:30:14 -0000

So this probably should have been done yesterday, but I really want to get in the habit of doing power rankings throughout the season. UNC occupies the top spot this week, with Duke coming in second, as both are coming off tough losses last week to strong opponents.

Let's take a look at who is where after the jump...

1.) UNC-- [W vs. Michigan State, L vs. Kentucky] UNC is getting better as was expected. The young guys are playing well and Larry Drew II looks a lot more comfortable. I'm still concerned about the Heels' bench, as Strickland looks a little lost out there and Henson just does not know what to do with his body. The Wear twins are eating up a ton of minutes without a lot of productivity. Tyler Zeller is a great player for them though and really makes the perfect sixth man. UNC gets another tough test when they head to Dallas to play Texas at the Cowboys stadium next week.

2.) Duke -- [L vs. Wisconsin, W vs. St. John's] I thought this Duke team was supposed to be able to shoot? Kyle Singler is looking average at best so far this year and is taking a LOT of shots. You know what you're getting out of Jon Scheyer week in and week out and that is a great stabilizer. Andre Dawkins has been spectacular so far and we are going to be seeing a lot more of him as Duke enters ACC play. Duke's big weakness is still down low--Zoubek and Thomas are just bad, but the Plumlees work hard and are good players.

3.) GT [W vs. Siena, W vs. USC] The Jackets were left out of the Challenge this year because of their finish last season, and that really is a shame as I believe they would have won their matchup and turned the tide for the ACC. Instead, Tech put a whooping on Siena and USC last week. GT is stellar in the frontcourt with Lawal, Peacock and Favors, but losing Iman Shumpert is going to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.

4.) Clemson [L vs. Illinois, W vs. South Carolina] Clemson is looking like bi-polar Clemson again, surprise! This is a good, solid basketball team. They have 5 players averaging at least 9 points per game and Trevor Booker is almost averaging a double-double (13 and 9). Their problem is that they just lose focus (as seen by the terrible collapse against Illinois). I think they are a better team than Georgia Tech, but they just can't pass them until they show some consistency.

5.) Miami [W vs. Minnesota, L vs. BC] Yes, I know they lost their first conference game. But it was very close and came down to the buzzer. They picked up a great non-con win over Minnesota, but still have not really been challenged other than their last two contests. Dwayne Collins is very good, but there's a lot of pressure on him coming into conference play since two of Miami's three strong guards are newcomers (Malcolm Grant from Villinova and freshman Durand Scott.) James Dews can get it done too, but we will see just how much the 'Canes miss Jack McClinton after the 1st of the year.

6.) Wake Forest [L vs. Purdue, W vs. Gonzaga] After a disappointing loss at home to William & Mary, the Deacs took to the road for two very tough tests. After a hard-fought loss to Purdue, the Deacs looked like they finally clicked in a win over Gonzaga at the Kennel. If the Demon Deacons can use this as a momentum builder, they could enter the new year at 10-2. They will be tested by UNC-W, who has played some good teams tough, as well as Richmond, which received votes in the polls this week. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are looking like the real deal, but the Deacs absolutely need to get consistency from their bigs and from Al-Farouq Aminu.

7.) Virginia Tech [W vs. Iowa, W vs. Georgia] I like VT. They're better than they look on paper, and their loss to Temple is not a bad one--the Owls almost pulled off the upset against Georgetown a few games ago. They easily could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th, but the combo of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen should be good for at least 6 conference wins.

8.) Maryland [W vs. Indiana, L vs. Villanova] I've seen Maryland play 4 times now this year and I'm sorry, I just don't think they are very good. Greivis Vasquez takes way too many ill-advised shots and he is shooting 32%. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are the strong points to this team and Eric Hayes keeps them calm sometimes, but they aren't deep and I'm not sold on their front court. The Terps were a hot pick to start the season, but they have to prove something to me before they can move up the board.

9.) Boston College [W vs. Michigan, W vs. Miami] Here we go again. It's the same old story every year. BC looks sparse on paper and then Al Skinner does a great job coaching his team to overachieve. It'll probably happen again this year and their last two wins are a big indicator of this. Reggie Jackson could be a great player, and BC gets bumped up a spot just from his nasty dunk against the 'Canes (on a terrible offensive foul call in the last 30 seconds) and his clutch FTs to seal the win. Raji, Jackson, Trapani is a great combo and they get a good effort out of Josh Southern too.

10.) Florida State [L vs. Ohio State, W vs. FIU] Florida State looked downright ugly against Ohio State. And downright ugly against Florida. But that win against Marquette was big, so they have that in them. Alabi, Singleton and Kitchen are a nice 1-2-3, but the 'Noles need to be getting more out of Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid.

11.) NC State [L vs. Northwestern, W. vs Marquette] After their loss to Northwestern, I didn't think at all that the Wolfpack would beat Marquette. It was the furthest thing from my mind. State is 6-1, but they are a mess and there is just not much there.

12.) Virginia [L vs. Penn State, L vs. Auburn] Hey, at least Virginia has beaten Cleveland State, something Wake wasn't able to do last year. Sylven Landesberg is a heck of a player, but when your next two leading scorers are Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski, there's a problem there. Virginia is not very good.

Headlines: Eagles 61, Hurricanes 60

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Reggie Jackson with a downright "offensive" dunk over Miami's Reggie Johnson. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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Brian: The Eagles have made the most of this tough non-conference stretch of games. The Eagles held on to beat Miami Sunday afternoon to sweep the Providence-Michigan-Miami portion of their schedule. BC now sits alone atop the ACC standings (well, for a few weeks before the rest of the ACC starts league play). There were stretches of this game where the Eagles were brilliant. BC dominated on the offensive glass (46 to 21 in total rebounds and an incredible 23-4 edge in offensive rebounds). For the second straight game, the Eagles came out on fire in the second half after only shooting 23 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. And yet, the Eagles fell asleep for stretches of the second half and watched a 16 point second half lead evaporate. Let’s start with the likes. What did you see that you liked out of the Eagles?

Jeff: I don't know if you would really say that the Eagles were brilliant on Saturday. They were good at times, maybe even very good for a few short stretches, but they were not brilliant as it is tough to be brilliant and only put up 61 points. The biggest like of the game had to be Reggie Jackson. Jackson made some plays when the Eagles needed someone to step up and most importantly, hit both free throws in the final three seconds of the game to seal the victory. Raji had another big game as well but it seemed to be Jackson who came up with more plays in the second half and late when the game was on the line.

Brian: Jackson played well but parts of his game still seem unpolished. While his dunk that was called an offensive foul was impressive and got the Conte Forum crowd going, he could have tried to go for a layup and pick up the foul. (Jackson, of course, made up for the "foul" by grabbing the rebound on a last second Miami 3-point attempt and icing the game from the free throw line.) Other times it looks like he tries to do too much with the ball. Jackson has the potential to be an outstanding player and I’m guessing he’ll get a better feel for the game as he matures. But he is very fun to watch. Reggie Jackson has seen increased playing time with Rakim Sanders sidelined with his ankle injury. It will be interesting to see what Skinner decides to do when Sanders returns for the Rhode Island game.

Jeff: After watching this game, it was great to see that the team really seems to mesh on the court much more so than some of the teams we've seen the last few years. We all know that Skinner did not bring in any new recruits this season which was criticized by some people, like you, but perhaps we are starting to see the benefits. A few more no look passes like the Jackson to Raji breakout or Paris finding Raji behind the zone is all it will take for Skinner and this team to win me over. But being a home game against a Miami team who we have dominated over the last decade, we can't get too excited about this win, right?

Brian: I think we should be excited about this win given that Miami defeated the Eagles twice last season. You also have to like the huge advantage in rebounding the Eagles have enjoyed in the early season. The Eagles out-rebounded the Hurricanes 46-21 in the game, including a 23-4 edge on the offensive glass. While national statistics still don’t have much meaning this early in the season, BC ranks 19th nationally and 3rd in the ACC in offensive rebounds (122). Nice to see the Eagles dominating on the offensive glass given that rebounding wasn’t exactly a strength of this team a year ago.

What is worrisome is the fact that the Eagles again squandered a big second half lead (16 points at its largest) for the third straight game. I’m not sure how successful the Eagles can continue to be if they follow this pattern over the next few games. You mentioned that you liked seeing the team start to "mesh on the court." Are you at all worried about what the return of Rakim Sanders will do for this team’s chemistry? Or do you expect Sanders to slide back into the starting lineup with the Eagles not missing a beat?

Jeff: The team needs Sanders back on defense as much or more so than they need him back on offense. Sanders has been much more a part of this team than he has sat on the sidelines so him meshing with this group will not be an issue. But for blowing leads, the Eagles have done so against quality competition without Sanders so it does not raise any red flags for me. Basketball is a game of runs and BC will continue to be on the good and bad side of runs as the season goes on. Sanders will ensure that the Eagles wind up on the good side far more often than the bad side because of his play on the defensive end of the court. Sanders is our best defensive player and BC should be able to extend leads much larger once he is back. It will be much more difficult for opposing teams to make runs to get back into games with Sanders on the floor. As Mike Gminski said during the radio broadcast of the game, BC needs ought to feel pretty good about this season since they're 6-2 (1-0) and their best player has only played 4 minutes this season.

Our 2009 ACC Blogger Awards Ballot

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:45:24 -0000

More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

Miami head coach Randy Shannon is BC Interruption's ACC Coach of the Year. Sebastian the Ibis gives us his stamp of approval on this selection. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

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For the second straight year, the SBNation Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country is hosting a blogger version of the postseason ACC Football Awards. Our ballot is below, and just in time for tomorrow night's ACC Championship Game.

Issues or comments on our ballot go to the comments section.

Coach of the Year - Randy Shannon (Miami Fla.)

With all due respect to Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Randy Shannon has our vote for ACC Coach of the Year. Shannon has the Hurricanes back on an upward trajectory, winning 2 more games each year in his first three seasons (5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 9 in 2009). Unlike Johnson, Shannon didn't exactly inherit a team that had all the right pieces to work in his system. After putting an end to the Patrick Nix / Robert Marve experiment and installing Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, the Hurricanes have gone from a team that ranked 89th in total offense in 2008 to 35th in 2009. This year's Miami team is probably a overtime win over Clemson from a BCS bowl at-large berth. Finally, when considering voting for Randy Shannon over Paul Johnson, remember that this matchup was already played on the field with Miami coming away with the 33-17 victory.

Also considered: Frank Spaziani (Boston College), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech)

Offensive Player of the Year - C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

Although probably not even a top 3 running back in the ACC (Ryan Williams, Jonathan Dwyer, even Montel Harris), Spiller gets the nod for Offensive Player of the Year. Spiller is equally good out of the backfield as he is in the receiving game, and is a game-changer on special teams. We'd go as far to say that Clemson probably doesn't sniff the ACC Championship Game this season without Spiller.

Also considered: Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech), Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Defensive Player of the Year - Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Call us homers ... but what this true freshman did at linebacker is truly remarkable. Not many true freshman get to start at linebacker in a BCS conference program, but Kuechly took his opportunity filling in for Mark Herzlich and Mike McLaughlin and hit a home run. Kuechly's 142 tackles placed him second in the country behind New Mexico's Carmen Messina. Kuechly also found the end zone for the first time in his career off a 28 yard INT return in a 31-10 win over Central Michigan. Kuechly also literally flew through the air on a Maryland 4th and 1 preventing the Terps from continuing a fourth quarter drive. There were certainly other impressive performances turned in by ACC defenders in 2009, but given the shoes he had to fill and the impact he had on the Eagles Top 25 defense, we give Kuechly the nod here.

Also considered: DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson), Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

Rookie of the Year - Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech)

While Kuechly could very well also be the pick here, we'll go with Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech. Williams knocked the ball out of the park filling in for the injured Darren Evans, rushing for 1,538 yards and finishing the regular season 3rd nationally in rushing yards behind Heisman Trophy candidate Toby Gerhart and UTEP's Donald Buckran. Williams rushed for over 100 yards in 9 out of the Hokies 12 games this year, turning in two breakout performances in the Hokies last two regular season games - 120 yards, 4 touchdowns vs. NC State and 183 yards, 4 touchdowns at Virginia. Williams 19 touchdowns on the ground led the conference and placed him tied for fourth nationally.

Also considered: Luke Kuechly (Boston College)