Boston College Football

The Boston College Eagles found themselves 2-5 midway through the 2010 season and mired with injuries on both sides of the ball. However, they turned things around by grinding out a 16-10 win over Clemson that triggered five straight wins to finish the regular season at 7-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

Unfortunately, the season ended on a sour note with a 20-13 loss to Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. The stage, though, has been set for continued success in the ACC Atlantic Division in 2011.

Coach

Frank Spaziani begins his third year as the Eagles head coach and has to be encouraged by his team’s grit and determination to turn things around last year. He also has to be encouraged that the recruiting efforts during his first two seasons that should begin to pay some dividends in 2011.

He started his tenure at BC with an 8-5 record in 2009 and earned an invitation to play USC in the Emerald Bowl. After two seasons of playing in second-tier postseason games, Spaziani has raised the bar heading into this year to try and lead his team to a more prestigious bowl.

Offense

If the Eagles are going to have any chance to compete with the likes of Florida State, Maryland, and Clemson in the Atlantic Division race, they will need sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig to add consistency to his game after an up-and-down freshman campaign. He completed just 51.3 percent of his passes and had three more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (six). He did show some big-play capability with his arm and was able to manage the game fairly well, but has yet to show he can do this on a week-to-week basis.

BC will still rely on its running game to move the ball behind Montel Harris, who led the team in rushing last season with 1,238 yards and eight TDs. His numbers this season should be even better behind an offensive line that returns fourth of its five starters from 2010.

Defense

The Eagles defense was ranked 19th in the nation in points allowed (19.5) in 2010, but will have some holes to fill with just five starters back from last year’s squad.

DT Kaleb Ramsey will anchor the defensive line and All-Conference linebacker Luke Kuechly leads a linebacker corps that could be one of the best in the conference.

The secondary will have a number of new faces as cornerback Donnie Fletcher is the only returning starter.

2011 Boston College Eagles Football Schedule

The Eagles will be tested early with a Week 2 non-conference game against a Central Florida team that is on many people’s list as the favorite to win the Conference-USA this year.

A brutal mid-season stretch has them on the road against Clemson, Virginia Tech and Maryland before returning home to face the Seminoles on Nov. 3. That four-game stretch will make or break Boston College’s season as it cannot afford to go 0-4 against the meat of its ACC schedule.

BC’s non-conference schedule also includes an opening day tilt with Northwestern and its traditional matchup with Notre Dame on Nov. 18, so there is very little margin for error if it has any hope to surpass last season’s seven-win total.

2011 Boston College College Football Odds

Bodog currently has Boston College at 175/1 to win a national title this season, which is the highest odds on the board for any team that is not included in the 20/1 "field" odds.

WagerWeb is also less bullish on the Eagles’ chances to win the ACC as they are listed at +1500, which is the middle-of-the-road as six teams have lower odds and five teams have higher odds.

They are at +750 to win the Atlantic Division behind Florida State (-325), Maryland (+325) and Clemson (+450).

2011 Boston College Eagles Football Predictions
Spaziani has his team headed in the right direction, but realistically the Eagles are just an average team in a less-than-spectacular ACC Conference. Their ACC opponents this season combined with a difficult nonconference schedule could actually point to a step backwards in terms of wins with a 6-6 record and fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Division.

We've reached our ACC linebacker rankings, and at this position the ACC has some of the best linebackers in the country. CollegeFootballRivals.com seems to think so as well.

Well let's get right to it and see which players make up this talented group.

Completed Rankings at All Sports Discussion

Running Backs | Quarterbacks  | Wide Receivers | Offensive Linemen | Tight Ends | Defensive Linemen | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Special Teams

1) Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Keuchly has gone from being relatively unknown coming out HS, to surprising freshman, to a player to keep an eye on as a sophomore, to one of the very best players in college football as junior. I honestly don't know what else to say about Kuechly. He's a consensus All-American pick, and is this year's favorite to win the Butkus Award given to the country's best linebacker. He’s an outstanding football player. It’s that simple.

2) Sean Spence, Miami

You get an idea of how great a linebacker Luke Kuechly is when someone as good as Sean Spence is rated behind him. Spence is hard hitter who has good speed and tremendous instincts. He had 111 tackles last season and created all kinds of havoc in opponent’s backfield with 17 tackles for losses. He's projected to be a second-round NFL pick. 

3) Kenny Tate, Maryland

Kenny Tate was an All-ACC safety last year, but he so versatile and talented he might be All-ACC linebacker this season. He will be what is known Star Linebacker, which is basically an outside linebacker. He averaged nearly eight tackles a game from his safety position, and I expect that will go up this year from the linebacker spot. Do you need safety or linebacker? Tate can be both.

4) Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech

Bruce Taylor is coming off a second team All-ACC season and is the Virginia Tech Hokies  best defensive player. He had offseason shoulder surgery, but should be ready by the time the season starts. He had a team high 91 tackles with six sacks last season. Taylor is a physical if not the fastest linebacker around and is a rock solid tackler. Bud Foster doesn't have to worry about this position. 

5) Nigel Bradham, Florida State

I keep waiting for Bradham to live up to his billing as the No. 1 ranked middle linebacker player coming out of high school according to scout.com. While he hasn't been spectacular he has been very good, leading FSU in tackles the last two years. He's an athletic player that occasionally lacks consistency. If that improves, Bradham could have a truly monster season. 

Ryan Williams, Darren Evans, Da'Rel Scott and Anthony Allen are all gone.  That means there's going to be a new crop of ACC running backs ready to fill their shoes. Who are the guys that will make up the 5 best running backs in the ACC this year?

Completed Rankings at All Sports Discussion.

Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Offensive Linemen | Tight Ends | Defensive Linemen | Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Special Teams

1) Montel Harris, Boston College 

Harris has been one of the ACC's premier backs for years. He is the ACC's leading returning rusher, having gained 1,238 yards last season. He has over 3,600 yards rushing for his career and will in all likelihood leave Boston College as their all-time leading rusher.

Before anyone questions Harris' 4.6 yards per rush average as being the lowest on this list, remember that BC is inconsistent at best throwing the ball. Defenses can completely key in on Harris and he still gets his yards.

2) Andre Ellington, Clemson

Before his toe -injury in late October, Ellington was headed towards a monster season. He finished with 686 yards and 5.8 yards per carry. He also has 10 touchdowns in roughly 3/4 of a season. Ellington may not quite have former Clemson star C.J Spiller's speed, but he's more than fast enough.

If he can stay healthy, Ellington is one of the two or three most explosive backs in the ACC.

3) Chris Thompson, Florida State

Thompson emerged last year as one of the ACC's best backs and the most productive RB the Nole's have had in years. Last season, Thompson ran for 845 yards and 6.3 yds per carry. He did this while starting only 6 games and sharing time in the FSU backfield with Jermaine Thomas and Ty Jones.

Thompson is a threat to score any time he touches the balls and had runs of 90, 83, and 70 yards last year. He also had 19 catches in 2010.

4) David Wilson, Virginia Tech 

David Wilson is now the man at Virginia Tech. If he can take over where Ryan Williams and Darren Evans left off, the Hokies should be in good shape. I think Wilson is going to do just fine. On just 113 carries, Wilson had 619 yards rushing last season. He also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Wilson is fast, really fast. He has been clocked running a sub 4.3 40 and spent some time with the Virginia Tech track team in the spring.  

5) Davin Meggett, Maryland

The ACC running back's list has been heavy on fast running backs. Davin Meggett has never been considered a track star but he's faster than you think.

Meggett led Maryland with 720 yards on the ground in 2010 and averaged nearly six yards a carry. He's a solid receiver and, with the emergence of QB Danny O'Brien, Meggett should be freed up to have a big season.

As Thursday, April 28 dawned upon the NFL universe, the hopes and dreams of many productive college players lay in the balance at Radio City Music Hall. From the unequaled personality of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, to the relative anonymity of former Rice defensive end Cheta Ozougwu (2011's version of Mr. Irrelevant), 254 college players of all sizes, shapes and pedigrees realized their dreams of being picked in the NFL Draft.

Sitting attentively by his television, former Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich undoubtedly grew impatient with the draft process as he watched less skilled and less accomplished players receive phone calls from NFL teams while his phone lay silent.

Herzlich, rated as a three-star recruit by Scout.com out of high school in 2006, was thought to be a highly-touted NFL prospect as he was named to the 2006 Freshman All-American team by College Football News and the 2008 All-American team, along with the recognition of 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Forgoing his senior year at Boston College for the NFL draft was seemingly an option for Herzlich, as he was commonly viewed as a first- or second-round pick in the draft, but his plans were quickly altered due to his diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

The cancer sidelined Herzlich for the entirety of the 2009 season but did not kill his spirits as he pledged to return for 2010. Herzlich's return, though triumphant, illustrated the rust he had accumulated by missing an entire season, as he finished third on Boston College with 65 tackles.

NFL teams often cite character and intangibles as make or break qualities for NFL prospects, making Herzlich's free fall all the more puzzling. Admittedly, Herzlich may have ceded some talent due to the metal rod inserted into his leg, but his will to persevere, along with his proven track record, should have enticed an NFL team to take a chance despite his medical red flags. 

The same undying motivation that brought Herzlich back onto the field at Boston College drove him towards his only football opportunity with the UFL's Omaha Nighthawks. The decreased talent level of the UFL did not prevent Herzlich from plummeting down their draft as well, as he was drafted in the 10th round, 51st overall.

The road to the NFL for Herzlich may take a detour through Omaha, Neb., where he will be teammates with former NFL cast-offs Cato June and Maurice Clarett, but his undeniable talent and his relentless will to succeed will only magnify the large chip on his shoulder.

With a strong heart, a football mind and a successful college career, Herzlich should earn a tryout at NFL camp once the lockout is lifted and though a tryout is not equal to being picked in the draft, all Mark Herzlich needs is 18 inches of daylight.

You know what scene has become all too redundant in football? When you hear about some high school recruit who is crashing the server over at rivals.com because he supposedly runs a 4.2 40. In case you haven't noticed, no one runs a 4.2 40 at the NFL combine, which to my knowledge is the only place where it is credibly timed. So therefore, nobody runs a 4.2.--not Deion, not Chris Johnson and definitely not some high school senior chasing jackrabbits in the deep South. In the end, it's all a run-around to make sure he gets signed by a big-time D-1 school and his entourage gets enough under the table loot to finance enough Mitchell and Ness throwbacks to uniform an entire impoverished portion of the A-T-L. Very few people do it the hard way anymore; and when it does, it feels good to be a gangsta. Just ask Anthony Castonzo.

If you want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I'll give it to you, but I can't do it on the internet for Anthony's sake. I mean, he's a certifiable professional athlete now. We can't have stories circulating the internet about how he broke the infamous Jordan "JYD" Brodbeck's front door off the hinges in a fit of rage after he found out about the Junkyard Dog's recent sexual exploits (oops). But what I will tell you is that Anthony Castonzo doesn't necessarily fit the description of your prototypical NFL draft prospect.

For starters, Castonzo's high-school football career was a far cry from that of the record shattering blue chips that he will soon be sharing a union with. Truth be told, in his days at LZHS, AC probably had more metal in the brace keeping his surgically repaired knee in place then he did decorating his bedroom mantle in the form of trophies. As an underclassman, he was big. And slow. As an upperclassman he was bigger, and although he could now fend off the process of erosion in a foot race, he still wasn't necessarily fast. In other words, if you saw him wearing a Don Beebe's House of Speed t-shirt, you would have thought he bought it at the Salvation Army--that's about the best way I can describe it. So when his high school career concluded and Les Miles wasn't on the Castonzo's doorstep off of Midlothian Rd. in Lake Zurich like some bizarro scene from the Blind Side, Anthony took matters into his own hands.

Forgoing countless academic scholarships to widely respected universities across the country, he decided to attend Fork Union, which sounds more like a restaurant inside Ogilvie Transportation Center than a Military Institute in Virgina, but that's exactly what it was. After dressing like a G.I. Joe and making his bed like G.I. Jane for an entire school year, Castonzo had finally blossomed into a legitimate D-1 football recruit, and a good one at that. Viginia Tech called, Duke wrote and Boston College offered. Now it was like a scene from the Blind Side, and coincidentally Anthony's mom and sisters are both pretty hot. The only difference of course was his ACT score (36), and his aspirations to pursue the field of biochemistry. He had the football prowess of the Icebox with the academic aptitude of the kid that was drawing up the "Annexation of Puerto Rico" in a double-breast-pocketed plaid. How could he lose?

He didn't. In two short years he went from receiving the same amount of attention from high school females as yours truly (none) to shaking up protein with Matty Ice and bouncing Irish-Catholic broads off of his lap in Beantown. He became the first true freshman to start on the O-line for BC in 10 years and eventually became a 1st team All-ACC left tackle. Even more impressive though, he was named to the Playboy Preseason All-America team as a Senior.

Now I never thought Anthony Castonzo was going to be the first pro athlete in the history of Lake Zurich High School, or even fathomed that a kid with worse facial hair than Orlando Bloom would ever make it into Playboy, but he has defied odds. Of course, when you're proving people wrong it always helps to be blessed with a 6'7'', 285 lb. frame, but that doesn't diminish what Anthony has accomplished at all. He finds himself as a sure-fire first rounder in the 2011 NFL Draft, and if labor unions lock him out, he can fall back on a 3.9 GPA from Boston College. Not bad at all for the city that was #64 on Frommers list of "100 Best Places to Raise Your Family". Not bad at all.

As for Pick of the Day, after the Pulse Man was spurned by the Knicks' loss to the Cavs only to see them beat the Heat in their next game, he has since turned his back on the NBA temporarily. For tonight, the Pulse Man likes Vanderbilt on the road at Rupp Arena getting a snowman (8 points).

Pick of the Day: Vanderbilt (+8) @ Kentucky- VANDY

Record:(58-43-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

Matt Rivers takes Boston College (+7.5) vs. Nevada in college football betting.

Reasoning: Nobody loves Colin Kaepernick and this Nevada offense more than I do and nobody thinks that this Boston College offense is as blah as I do. But with that said the Eagles won their last five games and with a month plus to prepare for Chris Ault’s tricky offense should be just fine.

Last year the Wolfpack were an even bigger favorite against SMU in the bowl game and June Jones had his team more than ready in the easy outright. I guess Nevada has learned a thing or two from that beating but you see all the time how these different offenses lose a lot when there is a lot of time to prepare for it. Georgia Tech every season looks awful this time of the year and once again did against Air Force. Meanwhile the Falcons did very little with their triple option attack against the Yellow Jackets. Navy is another example as they were very mediocre in the defeat against San Diego State.

Football spread betting experts know that Boston College is going to have to slow this thing down because if it turns into a shootout they will have little chance. But that is exactly what the Eagles have down for the last month of the season as they have won those five straight with scores of 16-10, 23-13, 21-16, 17-13 and 16-7. The boys from Chestnut Hill literally have the best run defense in the nation and that certainly is a good thing against Kaepernick, Tua and the ‘Pack.

Nobody can fully stop the Nevada pistol offense, I get that. But BC will do enough to slow it down and the running game led by Montel Harris and Andre Williams will wreak a little havoc as well keeping the College in the game.

You have to love what Mark Herzlich has been able to do coming back from cancer and in the end today I will back him and this fairly live dog.

The pick: Boston College (+7.5) from Matt Rivers, Senior Fellow at OffshoreInsiders.com

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