Let's all move on with our lives

Saturday night, everybody turned their clocks back. Another routine was followed by the BC football team as they choked once again, losing to a pretty average Florida State team, 27-17 in Chestnut Hill. Let's be honest, you didn't really think the Eagles were one of college football's best teams. In a season that started out so crazy, most things seem to be bouncing back into place as the major powers (Ohio State, LSU) are surviving while the pretenders (South Florida in a big way and now Boston College) are showing their true colors. Seeing BC in a BCS bowl is a pipe dream, plain and simple. I honestly don't think it'll ever happen. If not this year, then when? Everything was lining up perfectly for them and they still couldn't do it. It's true, they have three more games left but do you really think they'll win all three? I guarantee they drop at least one more and find themselves in another pre-New Years garbage bowl that nobody watches or goes to.

From the beginning on Saturday night, I had a feeling like this was the night Boston College would lose its first game of the season. There was a monsoon all day and the remnants were still around in the first half. Eagles senior middle linebacker and defensive leader JoLonn Dunbar hurt his leg in the second quarter and didn't return. His absence was huge as FSU kept getting big plays through the middle-right where he would have been. The Seminoles got a touchdown pass late in the second quarter and went into halftime up 7-0. Florida State added a field goal before BC finally woke up with a 30-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan to Brandon Robinson.

The teams traded kicks before Florida State got the backbreaker, a 42-yard pass from Drew Weatherford to De'Cody Fagg. It was 20-10 with 8:11 left in the fourth. It looked like BC might have some more magic for the second week in a row as Ryan found tight end Ryan Purvis for a one-yard toss. Florida State was able to get a few more first downs and more importantly chew up the clock before punting back to BC. Ryan threw one last pick (his third of the game) which 'Noles linebacker Geno Hayes took to the house, 38-yards.

Turnovers were the story of the game. BC: 4; Florida State: 0. FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford, who is a complete stiff went 29-for-45 for 354 yards and 2 TD's in the game of his life. Ryan was 26-for-53 for 415 yards and 2 TD's with 3 INT's.

With the play of Oregon QB Dennis Dixon in their big win over Arizona State on Saturday, I think it's safe to say its his Heisman to lose now. Ryan is still a great quarterback but he's just been asked to do too much week in and week out. Not enough other people stepped up for BC against Florida State. If they win out and then take the ACC Championship they'll still make a BCS bowl. However, there's no chance BC will win four more games. They've had enough good luck to start 8-0. The dream is over, welcome back to earth Boston College. I hope you had fun while it lasted. They are now #8 in the BCS and the latest polls.

Frauds no more

Stop me if you've heard this before: an overrated Boston College football team, loses an important late-season game that it had to have. Their season goes down the tube as they are relegated to a garbage bowl before New Year's in Podunk, USA. Well the script looked to be eerily similar until Matt Ryan and the Eagles woke up just in time last night, stunning host Virginia Tech 14-10 in a rain-soaked Lane Stadium.

BC was down 7-0 at halftime (after a controverisal Hokie touchdown; no way Royal got a foot down even though they reviewed it and it still stood). After a third-quarter field goal, the Hokies carried a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Ryan had probably the worst half of football in his college career: 9-for-21 for 54 yards.

When he threw a pick with a little over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, his Heisman campaign looked dead while BC's BCS hopes were gone as well. Ryan and Co. responded though. They went 92 yards in 9 plays for the first TD, ending with a 16-yard toss to WR Rich Gunnell. Luck was on the Eagles side on the next play as they rolled the dice and hit an onside kick. A Hokie touched it but it deflected right to BC. The Eagles calmly went 66 yards in 7 plays for the clinching score. On the winning touchdown, Ryan did something he had done twice earlier on the drive. He basically ran around the pocket to buy time before delivering a pass to running back Andre Callender. The throw was something that'll be replayed a million times this season and beyond. Ryan threw across his body (all arm as the commentators said) and just put enough on it to get it beyond multiple Tech defenders to Callender, who was uncovered in the back of the end zone. The play ended with 11 seconds left on the game clock. Wow. Ryan finished a respectable 25-for-52 for 285 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Florida sophomore QB Tim Tebow is probably still the front-runner but if BC can make it to the BCS Championship, Ryan will be the main reason why and will deserve the hardware.

BC still has to win its last four games but as I've said all along, last night was the biggest one. None of the four remaining teams: Florida State, Maryland, Clemson or Miami are currently ranked nor will they be when the teams meet. The Eagles can still stumble but after last night, who would doubt them this season? Ryan and Coach Jags seem to have that elusive Flutie magic back at the Heights.

We'll know a lot more about BC football after tonight

Boston College (#2 in all the polls) travels to ACC foe, no. 8 Virginia Tech in a game that will in all likelihood show whether BC is a contender or a pretender in 2997. If they survive this test, they could very well find themselves in the BCS Championship, assuming they take care of four winnable ACC games to wrap up the regular season.

The Eagles have looked very good at times this season but they also haven't played any legitimate teams or in real tough environments. Tonight should be another story. The Hokies are playing well after getting blown out by LSU in week two. They have the typical Virginia Tech traits: stout defense and outstanding special teams. Their offense is shaky but they have a good running back (Brandon Ore) and enough play-making receivers to make some noise.


Lane Stadium is always cited as one of the toughest places to play in college football. Virginia Tech is 13-2 all-time on Thursday nights (both losses though have come to BC, including one last season). It's put up or shut up time for BC. They've snuck up on most people nationally, who haven't seen many of their games. The general consensus is that they're an overrated team that has profited from a crazy rash of upsets in college football and a soft schedule thus far. This game could do a million different ways, it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Bizarro World: BC edition

Without a doubt, this college football season has been the most unpredictable I can ever remember. As #1 LSU fell at Kentucky on Saturday while #2 Cal choked against Oregon State, I could only laugh as I realized that BC (27-14 winners over Notre Dame) would move up to #3 in the country.

The polls that came out on Sunday had BC #3 in the BCS, #3 in the AP poll and #2 in the USA poll.

The victory over the pathetic Fightin' Irish was a forgone conclusion. It wasn't a question of who would win, rather how much would BC hang on ND. Give Notre Dame some credit. They're just awful this year but they hung around a much more talented Eagles squad. They simply couldn't make the plays or get the stops when they needed them. Now, BC's out of conference (joke) schedule is over, it's five ACC games between BC and dare I say, the BCS title game in New Orleans. Can you imagine that?

Trying to predict what'll happen a few months down the road is completely useless this season. Its best to take it week to week and try to anticipate where the biggest challenges lie. With that said, BC's toughest game is the next one: a week from Thursday at suddenly rejuvenated Virginia Tech. It'll be a national game and the Hokies are always great on Thursday nights, especially at home. We'll reassess things after that game.

BC Football, #4 in both polls

Boston College at 6-0 is ranked No. 4 in both polls, after stomping Bowling Green, 55-24 on Saturday in Chestnut Hill. It just goes to show you how crazy this college football season has already been. The Eagles-thanks to a bad conference, three straight easy home games and a Heisman-caliber QB-have reaped the benefits. Let's make this clear though: the season is half over and BC has six games left that could all end up losses (OK, maybe not at Notre Dame next weekend, although the pathetic Irish got its first win, at UCLA on Saturday).

After ND, BC has its toughest game of the season: a Thursday night showdown at Virginia Tech (who moved up to no. 10 after a nice win over Clemson). The next week, Bobby Bowden's team of thugs and criminals travels to Boston and the Seminoles are currently ranked 21st. Who knows what to expect from them though? They've been the classic talented but woefully underachieving team in recent years, coincidentally coinciding with Bowden's increasing senility. The last three games are at Maryland, at Clemson and home to Miami. All three teams are certainly beatable for BC, especially this year. Still, the Eagles Achilles heel in recent years has been losing the late-season games that would put them in good bowls. We'll see if Coach Jag can reverse that trend. Early returns show that he was a great hire. He's opened up the BC offensive playbook and the defense has played well despite battling a ton of key injuries. Tom O'Brien isn't exactly setting the world on fire down at NC State. The Wolfpack is already one of the worst teams in the ACC which is saying something.

It's time to let the Superfrauds enjoy their lofty (unearned) ranking and see what they're made of over the last six games. Truth be told, they really haven't been tested and the marquee wins against Wake Forest and Clemson get worse by the week as both teams continue to struggle.