Boston College Football

Last night the Boston College Eagles defeated No.20 Florida State Seminoles. It was a game where no one really gave BC a chance to win. Florida State had only lost once before on its homecoming weekend. It was a black out, for the FSU fans and players. FSU came out in their intimidating black uniforms, but the Eagles were anything but scared. BC clinched its 10th straight winning season.

Each year, people underestimate the strength of BC football. Last year with Matt Ryan, LV Withworth, Andre Callender, Kevin Challenger, Jolann Dunbar, Jamie Silva, DeJuan Tribble, and the list goes on.

Last year's Senior class was one of the best in BC history. BC wasn't even ranked in the preseason top 25 last year and worked their way up to No.2 in the nation. BC was projected to win eight games last year. Are you kidding me? And you call yourselves college football experts?!

This year BC was expected to win about seven games according to these so called 'experts.' BC is two wins away from winning its second straight ACC Atlantic championship.

BC is rarely given any credit to by the press because they don't bring in five star recruits. BC brings in a certain breed of players, regardless of how many stars are next to their names. A prime example is Montell Harris. A two star recruit who ran all over the FSU defense, which is full of those five star recruits.

BC recruits smart players on offense and big guys on defense (Raji and Brace). BC is easily the most underrated football team in the nation. But how does a team like BC compete with teams like Clemson and FSU?

Clemson is a prime example of a program recruits based on stars. They go out and get five star recruits, who turn out to be flops because they don't play alike or well together.

You can attribute 110 percent of that problem to the worst coach in college football, Tommy Bowden. He spoiled his players and didn't have a clue when it came to building a college football team. Clemson has, however, made a turn for the better by firing Bowden.

BC is looked past every single season. Year in and year out, people forget about them. Every single year, BC slowly creeps back into the top 25. When are these experts going to learn that they should be in the top 25 because they make an appearance every single season.

I think BC likes flying under the radar. They always play underdog, and they like it. Other teams don't even give BC respect. In last nights game, FSU was going to kick a field goal to cut the lead to four.

But quickly the offense came running out onto the field hoping to catch BC off guard. BC wasn't phased. They stood in there and brought the heat and stopped FSU two yards short of the marker. Does FSU think BC is stupid? BC has one of the best defensive coordinators in the land; Frank Spaziani. 

BC will continue to fly under the radar. If BC makes the ACC championship game again, well lets just say, they are demanding respect.

Looking at this line it seems like a sucker bet to me. BC is getting around 3 points for the home game, but other than that it is basically a pick'em. Clemson interim coach Dabo Swinney had their off week to prepare and start putting in more of his system and principles, but I think this Tiger team is already lost.

BC is usually the type of team that does not beat themselves and Clemson is that kind of team. I will take BC at home to cover the -4.

Boston College 20 Clemson 14
Boston College Covers -4

Last Week: 3-2 ATS, 3-2 SU
Season: 23-9-2 ATS, 23-11 SU

Home Page

As the season progresses, the ACC Championship picture has turned from a clear sunny day to a severe thunderstorm. Most people were picking Clemson and Virginia Tech to represent the conference in the championship game, but now Clemson has no shot and Virginia Tech has only half a team.

It seems eight teams have a shot of getting into the ACC Championship, but some could be eliminated as soon as this weekend.  Here's a look at the contenders remaining conference schedules.

North Carolina

At this moment, North Carolina is still alive.  Their 1-2 in the ACC Coastal division, but if they don't win this week their chances of a conference championship apperance are pretty much over. 

Boston College will be tough to beat, and coming off of their overtime loss against Virginia isn't going to help matters.  If they do get passed BC, things won't get easier as they play Georgia Tech next week.  Expect the Tar Heels to lose one of these games.

Wake Forest

They've had two horrible losses, one to Navy and a shutout last week against Maryland.  Navy doesn't matter in the ACC picture, and Wake Forest has one of the easier remaining conference schedules left.

Sitting at 2-1 in conference play in the Atlantic Division Wake will take on Miami, Duke and Virginia in the next three weeks.  These are all games they should win, but if Riley Skinner struggles Wake has a hard time competing.  They finish at NC State, which should be another win, and their biggest conference game remaining is Boston College.

The Wake, BC game may decide the Atlantic Divsion when it's all said and done.

Maryland

Maryland has one of the tougher conference schedules remaining as they are set to play Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State and Boston College.  As of now, they're 2-1 in the ACC with wins over Clemson and Wake, and their lone loss came against UVA who beat them 31-0.

Maryland has been pretty inconsistent all year, and I don't see them winning the Atlantic Division with their remaining schedule.  They should beat NC State this week, but once this team hits the road they're a completely different team (this is not a good thing).

Virginia

The way UVA started the season I didn't think they would win two games.  I'm not kidding.  They lost to USC, which was expected, struggled against Richmond, and was absolutely dominated by Connecticut and Duke.

However, the Cavs have rebounded nicely winning three games in a row, against Maryland, East Carolina, and North Carolina in overtime.  Right now, they're tied at second in the Coastal Division with Virginia Tech, and have a huge game this weekend against Georgia Tech.

If the Cavs win this one they have a legitimate shot at making the conference championship game.  After this weekend, they play Miami and Clemson at home, and have away games against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. 

The Battle for the Commonwealth Cup may actually mean something for the Cavs and the Hokies this year, especially if they're tied at the top of the Coastal Division in the last week of the regular season.

Boston College

Boston College has had a very good season so far, but it finishes pretty tough with a lot of Atlantic Divisional opponents.  There last three games of the season are at Florida State, at Wake Forest and then at home against Maryland. 

They're 2-1 in the ACC, with wins over NC State and Virginia Tech.  Their lone loss was to Georgia Tech in the second week of the season.  They play UNC and Clemson in the coming weeks, but I'm still not sold on the Eagles.  They beat Virginia Tech, but only won by five points.  I say this because, Virginia Tech didn't put the ball in the endzone offensively or even step in the redzone one time. 

Their game against Florida State should be the deciding factor for the Atlantic Division representative in the ACC Championship.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is a good defensive team, decent on special teams, but one of the worst teams in the nation on offense.  When I say one of the worst, the 114th ranked offensive team in the FBS out of 119.  How this team has won five games is beyond me.

I was at the Georgia Tech game, and really the only reason the Hokies won was because of the personal fouls the Yellow Jackets kept committing.  They struggled offensively with Furman and Western Kentucky, were helped out by injuring UNC quarterback T. J. Yates, and really, their only good win this year was at Nebraska.  Even against Nebraska a number of penalties moved the ball up the field.

I've been a Virginia Tech fan all my life, and never have I not looked forward to watching them play on Saturday's.  However, their offense is so bad it's hard to watch.  If they don't fix this immediatley they will have a hard time winning most of their games for the rest of the season.

This week against Florida State is their biggest remaining test, and I don't think they will come out on top.  Right now they're 2-1 in the Coastal Division, and need to win most of their remaining games to have a shot at the ACC Championship. 

After this week, Maryland, Miami, Duke and Virginia is how they will finish up.  If their offense can finally open the book to their season they should be fine.  If not, they have no chance of getting to the ACC Championship.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has had a very good season so far, with only one loss to Virginia Tech.  They nearly lost to Gardner-Webb a couple of weeks ago, but we'll just assume they were looking ahead to Clemson. 

The Yellow Jackets sit atop the Coastal Division at 3-1, and have Virginia, Florida State, Miami, and North Carolina remaining.  If Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech wind up with the same conference record, Virginia Tech holds the tie breaker.

Georgia Tech is capable of running the table for the rest of the season, but Virginia is a formidable opponent now, and Florida State will be a tough one.

Florida State

Florida State leads the ACC in scoring, but played pretty weak competition in their first three weeks.  They lost to Wake Forest, scoring only three points, and are number one in the Atlantic Division with a 2-1 conference record.

Florida State has Virginia Tech this week, and travel to Georgia Tech next week.  If they win these two games they'd be in good position.  However, I see them losing one if not both of these.

Christian Ponder has been okay at times, but has trouble throwing the ball against tough defenses.  Antone Smith is what this offense lives and dies with, and will need him to have two very good games in the next two weeks.

If the Seminoles get past these two teams, Clemson, BC, and Maryland will await.  The Boston College game should be the deciding factor for this division, if Florida State hasn't lost a number of conference games by this point in the season.

ACC Championship

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech

Boston College is probably the easiest to call here, but Virginia Tech will only get here if they find their offense.  If they do get to the championship game they will only be able to lose one more game this season, if not Georgia Tech will be the representative for the Coastal Division.

During a ten year run in which he compiled more wins than any other football coach in Boston College history, Tom O'Brien brought many things to the Heights including wins, bowl appearances, and even respectability. But for many fans, it's what he didn't bring that will be his lasting legacy: Championships, Passion, and a headset on gameday.

As BC prepares for its 2nd meeting with the ex-coach, Tom O'Brien's contribution to the BC program will be the subject of much debate among Eagle fans.

The History
Things looked dark for Boston College in the Winter of 1996.

Dan Henning had recently resigned at the end of the ‘96 season due mostly to his less than stellar 16-19-1 record at the helm. It had been just a few months since a betting scandal rocked the athletic department in which thirteen players were suspended by the school, the most players ever implicated in a college sports gambling scandal. The story made national headlines as Brandon King replaced Doug Flutie as the poster boy for the program. Athletic director Chet Gladchuk would also soon leave to take over the same position at Houston.

Enter Tom O’Brien.

In December, 1996, BC hired Navy graduate and former Virginia offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien. After two sub-par 4-7 seasons in 1997 and 1998, O’Brien helped BC turn the corner and finished 1999 with an 8-4 record, a win over hated Notre Dame, and a bowl appearance. That same beat continued for seven more years as O’Brien amassed 75 wins and eight bowl appearances during his 10 year run. Contrary to widespread criticism toward the coach known as TOB and his perceived flaws, after his departure the athletic expectations at BC had never been higher.

Between 1992 (when expectations started to increase under Tom Coughlin) and TOB’s 2006 departure, BC went to 11 Bowl Games (8 under TOB - including the ‘98 bowl game).

Before that (dating back to 1932), Boston College appeared in a total of 7. Yes, there are too many bowl games.

Another way of looking at it: dating back to the inception of BC Football in 1893 until 1992, BC had a total of 13 seasons with more than 7 wins (college teams began playing 10 game seasons in the '20's and consistently since the '60's).

Between 1992 and 2006, BC has had 9 seasons with more than 7 wins.

Since 1940 (the "national championship" season), BC's longest streak of consecutive winning seasons was 7. Meanwhile Coach O’Brien compiled 8 consecutive winning seasons during his last 8 years on campus - more than any other BC team in over 70 years.

The Last 30 years

Under Ed Chlebek ('78-80), BC averaged 4 wins a season (.363 winning percentage).

Under Jack Bicknell ('81-90), BC averaged 5.9 wins a season. (.517 winning percentage).

Under Coughlin ('91-93), BC averaged 7 wins a season (.614 winning percentage).

Under Henning ('94-96), BC teams averaged 5.3 wins a season (.444 winning percentage).

Under TOB ('97-06), BC averaged 7.5 wins a season (.625 winning percentage)

Boston College’s historic winning percentage is .586.

With the exception of one year in the 1940's (1940: 11-0) and one year in the 1980's (1984: 10-2), BC had never been a top program. Other than those two seasons, BC never had a 10 win season.

Despite this varied history, many fans blamed TOB for failing to turn the corner, win the "big game," or make BC a top 10 program.

Many BC fans refer back to the 1984 dream season in which Jack Bicknell, Sr. and Doug Flutie led the team to a 10-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory. Less frequently mentioned is the next year when the team went 4-8.

Tom O’Brien must be praised for the credibility (including graduation rates), consistency, and increased expectations that he brought to the Heights. In one sense, he was a victim of that success.

While many people tend to laud Coach Coughlin and disparage O’Brien, such criticism may not be fair. Coughlin did not exactly have more success than TOB. It is difficult to argue that Coughlin’s one 9-3 season was superior to TOB's back-to-back-to-back 9-3 seasons or that Coughlin’s victory in the 1993 Carquest bowl against UVA was better than TOB’s victories in the Tire bowl against UNC or Music City bowl against UGA.

Similarly, like TOB, Coughlin also failed to win a conference championship or a marquee bowl game. And, like O’Brien, Coughlin also owns several inexplicable ("WTF") losses (Rutgers and Northwestern) and went 0-2 vs. Miami, 0-2-1 vs. WVU, and 1-2 vs. Syracuse.

Bicknell, for all of his praise, was even worse. Other than the Flutie years, Cowboy Jack had a string of 2-9, 3-8, and 4-7 seasons.

For all his flaws, and there are many, Coach O’Brien brought a tradition of winning to Boston College unlike any coach before him. There is no slice of BC football history in which one can find a greater period of sustained winning and accomplishment than during the TOB decade. While fans would have liked a Championship or even a BCS bowl appearance during that tenure, O’Brien’s contributions to the program and accomplishments at the Heights can not be ignored.

Brian Brunner is a perfect example of hard work paying off. Ranked as the 10th best quarterback in the Midwest by Scouts Inc. in 2004, he had his sights set on guiding Central Michigan to multiple bowl games.

Brian joined the team in 2004, and was redshirted. Although he did receive the Offensive Scout Team player of the year. In 2005, he saw action in three games completing all of his pass attempts for the Chippewas.

2006 was Brian Brunner's year.

He came into preseason camp as the projected starting quarterback but had some competition from redshirt freshman Dan Lefevour.

He eventually won the starting quarterback job, and was to start the season vs. Boston College at Kelly Shorts Stadium.

On the second play from scrimmage for the Chippewas, Brunner suffered a severe concussion. Although he didn't know it then, his backup would be one of Central's best quarterbacks ever. Dan Lefevour almost led the team back to a win versus a very good ACC team.

Brunner then saw action versus Eastern Michigan coming off the bench, and rallying them to a win. Brunner thought he had a chance to redeem himself and start the next week, but to his surprise he was done being a starting quarterback for 2 years. He appeared in a couple of games for the Chippewas in 2007 but only threw 12 passes.

His big opportunity came in 2008.

He was given the chance to come into the game after Lefevour hurt his ankle in the Temple game. Brunner guided the team to a big win on CMU's Homecoming.

The next week versus Western Michigan, Brunner got his first start in two years, guiding Central to a big rivalry win throwing for 341 yards and running for 36. Leading CMU to a 38-28 over WMU.

Brunner has always been a active person. Helping with football camps, going to various schools for recess with the Chippewas, and participating in a host of other activities.

He is also a very good leader with his team as he was voted team captain for the 2008 season as a backup quarterback.

He has also been academic All-MAC several times. He received the Boyden award, which embodies everything previously mentioned.

Most importantly, Brunner is an all-around great person who will be remembered as a leader and good athlete at CMU.

Two minutes, 11 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter.  Boston College scores for the first time of the game to pull within three.  An onside kick follows, and with the slippery turf Josh Morgan is unable to hold onto the football, and Boston College recovers.

Matt Ryan leads the Eagles upfield and throws a touchdown pass over the outstretched arm of Macho Harris.  Boston College wins 14-10 in Blacksburg.

Yes, that was last year.  The Eagles no longer have Ryan, aren't ranked second in the nation, and don't have national championship hopes on the line.  Virginia Tech redeemed themselves in the ACC Championship, but they still want to take care of business in Chestnut Hill this Saturday.

Chris Crane is now the starting quarterback for the Boston College Eagles.  He has over 800 passing yards this season, with four touchdowns and six interceptions.  He's coming off his best game of the season against NC State, where he threw for 428 yards and two touchdowns on 51 pass attempts.

If Boston College is down early in this one, expect him to throw the ball 50 more times this week.  The Eagles have a decent running game with Montel Harris and Jeff Smith, but they haven't seen a great defense all season. 

The best defense they have faced was Georgia Tech, and they combined to rush for 46 yards on 15 carries.  Georgia Tech has one of the best defensive lines in the country, but overall the Virginia Tech defense is much better, so look for the Eagles to struggle moving the football.

Injuries and suspensions has been the story for Virginia Tech this year.  Many people talk about the players lost in the draft, but all teams deal with this, so you have to be ready to go.

Frank Beamer has done a great job this year of coaching his young talent.  This could have gone down as one of the worst years in recent history for Virginia Tech football with all of the new faces, but Beamer and his coaching staff have done a great job thus far.

Darren Evans is now the starter, due to the torn Achilles' tendon junior running back Kenny Lewis Jr. suffered against Western Kentucky, and I look for Evans to have an even bigger impact on offense.  Evans has scored a touchdown in every game for the Hokies this year and also has the most carries.  Josh Oglesby should also get more reps this week.

The offense still isn't good for Virginia Tech, but it seems to get better as the year moves on.  Tyrod Taylor has yet to lose a start in his career, and he will look to improve on his passing game this week against Boston College. 

The young wide receiving corps is coming along but hasn't been anything to be excited about so far this season.  They will become better as Taylor becomes better.

I don't think the Hokie offense will have any trouble moving the ball this weekend against the Boston College defense.  The Eagles haven't played great competition all year, and they won't be up to the task tomorrow night.  The Hokies are young, but they're very athletic and seem to play well together.

Look for Virginia Tech to jump on Boston College early and not let up.

Hokies 27, Eagles 10

"He's so far beyond his age, it's unbelievable...nobody even calls him Rook around here."--Chris Redman as quoted in Sports Illustrated.

With the third pick in the 2008 NFL Draft the Atlanta Falcons, under new GM Thomas Dimitrioff, selected Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. 

Ryan was expected to be the spark that fired up the Falcons offense in the years to come. It only took six weeks for Ryan to turn that spark into a full fledged bonfire.

Ryan was considered the best QB in the college ranks but this years crop of QB's were considered far weaker than most other years.  Pundits all over the tube argued about his credentials and his touchdown to interception ratio (31/19) and whether he was worthy of being such a high draft choice in a draft with so many great peripheral players.

Falcon fans were torn.  The former starter for the Birds left in handcuffs and he still had a very strong following in Atlanta. Replacing him would be a difficult if not painful for a large percentage of the fanbase. The Falcons other choice was to go after Glenn Dorsey, secure the defensive line for years, and select a QB later in the draft.  Players like Flacco and Brohm being most commonly coveted.

Yet Dimitroff, a self proclaimed "QB snob", went after Ryan and his "it" factor.

The "it" factor.  I've heard that word countless times when someone described Ryan.  What exactly is "it"?  How does it differ from the "wow" factor and where does someone go to learn this "it"?  Is this something genetic?  Do I have to be a Sith apprentice to acquire this magical thing?

Even Coach Smith said last week that Matt had "it" but that he didnt know what "it" was.

What we do know is that Ryan has brought to the table what has been lacking in Atlanta for years, real leadership.  So far his statistics have been good but not stellar.  He has a  57.8 completion percentage and just over 1,100 passing yards. Five touchdowns against three interceptions and his rating of 82.9 isn't going to knock your socks off on paper but its on the field that you get to see who Ryan is...a true leader.

Has he made rookie mistakes, sure. His first pass against Carolina was picked off and run in for a score.  Thankfully it was negated by a penalty but it's instances like these where we see some of the rough edges he still has to hone.  Yet these faux pas are happening less and less each week and come far less often than you would expect from any other rookie.

Ryans on-field abilities are apparent in the coaching staffs confidence in him.  Do you recall a rookie QB who was not only given the start in his first season but also calls his own plays from a no-huddle offense?  I don't. Yet Smith and his staff have given that power to Ryan who has been using it since week 3.

Last week against the Bears Ryan showed a National stage what "it" really is. Pocket presence, grace under fire, poise, leadership, unrelenting drive, and a never say die attitude...all of these qualities wrapped up into a single QB...led the Falcons to their fourth win of the season. 

Unless you've been living in a cave you saw the highlights and while his stats weren't dynamic (22/30, 301, one TD), Ryan took command of his team and showed everyone why he was selected third and just what "it" is that makes him a different kind of rookie.

Ryan showed that a game can be won on his arm when the running game is shut down and proved that gone are the days when the Falcons were a one-dimensional team.  At 4-2 the Falcons have already exceeded this seasons expectations and after enjoying their bye week they, along with Ryan, will be in Philly to take on the Eagles.

As far as describing the "it" factor?  For future reference Websters can just list it as:

"IT" adjective; See Matt Ryan.

The ACC looks a bit different after last week with no more Tommy Bowden at Clemson. Virginia is playing better football, but Wake Forest and Virginia Tech remain at the top of their divisions.

Here are my predictions for Week Eight.

Florida State 35, NC State 17

Florida State has put up at least 39 points in every win they have this season.  They should come close tonight because NC State has a pretty weak defense.  Russell Wilson will try to lead the Wolfpack to victory, but the Seminole defense is too strong for the NC State offense.

Clemson 21, Georgia Tech 17

Honestly I would have picked Georgia Tech if they had beaten Gardner-Webb by more than three points last week, but I'm looking for Clemson to come out and make a statement.

Whether it's Willy Korn or Cullen Harper at quarterback, I'm looking for the Tigers to play inspired football and come out with a win.  If not, Clemson will fall below .500 on the season.

Wake Forest 24, Maryland 20

This is probably the toughest game to call.  These two teams are pretty inconsistent.  Wake Forest had the unbelievable loss to Navy, and Maryland looks like a good team some weeks but also lost 31-0 to UVA.  I'm expecting the Wake Forest defense to make the difference in this one.

North Carolina 42, UVA 17

Look for North Carolina to bring the Cavs back down to earth.  Virginia was one of the worst-looking football teams I've ever seen through the first four games.  Marc Verica has played pretty good the last two weeks, and Cedric Peerman has finally picked it up.

Yes Brandon Tate is out for the year, but his Tar Heel team has loads of talent and shouldn't miss a beat.  Look for that Tar Heel defense to add to their NCAA-leading interception total as Verica has thrown seven picks in four starts.

Miami 35, Duke 13

Prior to last week, Miami had two heartbreaking losses in a row.  North Carolina threw a touchdown pass in the final minute of the game to win by four, and Florida State was able to hold off the huge Miami comeback and win by two.

Miami is a young team, but Randy Shannon has them focused.  Their young athletic defense should be too much for the Duke offense, and look for Robert Marve to put up big numbers.

Virginia Tech 27, Boston College 10

Virginia Tech has won five games in a row after the shocking loss to ECU in the season opener.  Frank Beamer has done a phenomenal job with a very young team and has them competing every week.  It isn't always pretty, but the Hokies always seem to come out on top.

Besides Georgia Tech, Boston College hasn't played a very good football team this season.  The Virginia Tech defense will be too much for this Eagles offense, and look for the Hokie offense to have one of their best games moving the football this year.

Chris Crane led a game-winning drive in the final minute at NC State on Saturday. It was a 13-yard rush with 22.8 seconds remaining that won the game. 

His touchdown capped a career game for the fifth-year senior. Crane threw for 428 yards and two touchdowns. Crane also added three rushing touchdowns. His favorite target, Rich Gunnell, had 11 catches for 128 yards. 

Crane, who had been struggling all year, finally found his footing against NC State. The game Crane had today was what BC thought they had at the beginning of the year, but it took a while for him to settle in.

Two weeks ago, Crane was booed against UCF, but when the Eagles return home to face Virginia Tech next week, he should be welcomed warmly.

Crane threw the ball 50 times for the first time in his career and for the first time this year. Despite blowing a 14-point lead, the Eagles were able to score late to improve to 4-1 and 1-1 in an open ACC race. 

Crane also led the team in rushing yards with forty two yards. 

Crane will get his first true test against Virginia Tech next week at home. If Crane can repeat his performance BC, will be on their way to another ACC title game. The schedule is going to get very tough for the Eagles. 

The Eagles have yet to prove anything, but with Crane's performance on Saturday against the nation's leader in interceptions, he could lead the Eagles past many of these opponents. 

We saw Crane's great athletic ability when he avoided a sack late in the game. He has above-average speed for a big quarterback, and he can really sling it.

Crane's No. 1 problem was his accuracy, but it has increased greatly since the opener against Kent State. It could still be better, and chances are it will.

Crane has shown great character. He went from being booed by his home crowd to a career game in a hostile environment against his ex-coach, Tom O'Brien. O'Brien has yet defeat the Eagles since leaving in 2005.

The Eagles are now a contender in the ACC, but with a poor defensive performance, questions still remain. It was an uncharacteristic performance by the Eagles defense.

The Eagles will play against their first ranked opponent of the year, and it could be the start of something for the Eagles. If the Eagles can go 6-1 down the stretch, then they will be in serious contention for an ACC Atlantic crown. 

The Eagles will have to beat Wake Forest and Florida State on the road if they want a chance. The season is still in its beginning stage, but next week we will learn if the Eagles are contenders or pretenders.