ACC 2010-Boston College Golden Eagles

Boston College Golden Eagles

2009 Record: 8-5 (5-3)

Head Coach: Frank Spaziani (9-5, 2nd season)

Offensive Coordinator: Gary Tranquil (2nd season)

Defensive Coordinator: Bill McGovern (2nd season)

2009 Bowl Game: Emerald Bowl, Lost to USC 24-13

Offense: Who knew that a 26 year old freshman would lead the way at QB in 2009. Dave Shinskie became the guy when Dominique Davis flunked out of school and transferred. Shinskie wasn't Joe Montana overnight, but he was solid, and provided excellent leadership in the huddle. The real star of this offense was RB Montel Harris, who finished second in the ACC in rushing with 1457 yards (he scored 14 TD's). Harris has the potential to be even better in 2010, as he will be running behind 4 returnees on the line , one of which is pre-season All-American Anthony Costanzo at LT. With the ability of Harris in play, and the return of Costanzo and the other members of the line, Shinskie should only get better at QB as the pressure won't be on him. This is a good thing, as the receivers will be brand new starters. One of these new starters has a familiar name in BC lore...Billy Flutie. Colin Lamond will be the other starter, and he is highly thought of at the Heights. Chris Pantale will return at TE, and he will take some of the pressure off of the new kids at WR. Shakim Phillips will be expected to see the field at WR as an incoming freshman, and Chris Rettig was a huge grab on the trail out of California at QB. If Shinskie regresses this season, expect him to be pushed by Rettig.

Defense: There is huge news with the unit this season. Mark Herzlich, who lost all of 2009 to CANCER, returns to the field. His loss was softened last season, as Luke Kuelchy came in as a freshman at LB and dominated. They will both be on the field at the same time, and word on Herzlich is that he is ready to go 100% out of the gate this fall. Mike Morrissey is another returnee at LB, and could give BC the best group in the ACC, and one of the best units in the nation. BC is truly becoming the new LB U. Alex Albright returns at DE, and Damik Scafe returns at DT, which should give BC solid production on the front 7. The weak link is in the secondary, where every job is open coming into the fall.

Special Teams: Ryan Quigly handles both the P and PK duties, but is noted for his punting. He was 5th in the ACC in punting average and was tied for first with 23 punts inside the 20. No issues here.

2010 Schedule

Wins: 9/4 Weber State, 9/11 Kent State, 10/9 NC State, 10/23 Maryland, 10/30 Clemson, 11/6 @ Wake Forest, 11/13 @ Duke, 11/20 @ Virginia, 11/27 @ Syracuse

Toss Up Games: 10/2 Notre Dame, 10/26 @ Florida State,

Losses: 9/25 Virginia Tech

This schedule is custom built for success. Virginia Tech looks like the lone guaranteed loss, but that could spin back towards the Eagles if the Hokies get beat up by Boise State a couple of weeks prior. The Notre Dame game is a toss just because of the rivalry aspect, but I think that BC will be the better team in 2010. BC has competed with and beaten Florida State, and if this game was being played in Chestnut Hill, it would have swung to the win column for BC. FSU is a tough get in Tallahassee. The wins come against all very beatable teams. I guarantee 9 regular season wins for the Eagles.

Outlook: Frank Spaziani took a team that was down and being kicked before last season started to a bowl game. This team had lost its coach (Jeff Jagodzinski, fired) it's QB (flunked out, transferred) and it's star LB (Mark Herzlich, cancer). Spaziani was hired just before the fall as a testament to his loyalty to BC (12 seasons as an assistant). His drive, devotion, and passion turned a wreck into a serviceable Volvo by season's end, and that is a true compliment. A year removed from that disaster turned miracle, let's see if Spaziani and crew can turn this into a Mercedes. I love the outlook for the Eagles, and they can definately compete for their first ACC crown.

ACC 2010-Florida State Seminoles

2010 Record: 7-6 (4-4)
Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher (1st Season)
Offensive Coordinator: James Coley (1st Season)
Defensive Coordinator: Mark Stoops (1st Season)
2009 Bowl Game: Gator Bowl, Defeated West Virginia 33-21

Offense: This should be the year of Christian Ponder at FSU. Ponder Passed for 2717 yards last season, but only threw 14 TD passes. He also injured his shoulder towards the end of last season and had surgery during the off-season. He will have the benefit in 2010 of having all of his O-Linemen returning, including pre-season All-American LG Rodney Hudson. The RB situation was unsettled coming out of spring camp with three different players vying for the job. Those three players are Jermaine Thomas, Ty Jones, and Chris Thompson. Thomas led the team in rushing in 2009, but Thompson was the best back coming out of spring ball. There is depth at the wideout spot, with Bert Reed and Jarmon Fortson returning last season. Fortson has NFL build, and has the ability to make the electrifying plays, but has lacked consistency thus far. Rodney Smith (a sophomore) could push Reed for his starting job, but both will play plenty. There is also a stellar group of kids coming up with the freshman class, including De'Joshua Johnson and Kenny Shaw, as well as speedy athletes Christian Green and Greg Dent, who can help either at WR, RB, or in the secondary. There is only one other spot that is open, and that is at TE, where Beau Reliford and Ja'Baris Little are duking it out. Again, both look to play. New coordinator James Coley has a ton to work with, and he had better work it out, as this unit has more working for it than the...

Defense: Where the offense has 9 returning starters, the defense has only 4, and one prospective starter has been busted on felony charges. Mark Stoops was a pretty solid grab as coordinator, but he has it cut out for him this fall. The centerpiece to the defense has to be sophomore CB Greg Reid. Ochuko Jenije plays at the other CB spot, and he actually led the team in picks with 4. Xavier Rhodes is expected to push at CB, as is incoming freshman Jamarcus Joyner, who is expected to be the next big thing in FSU's vaunted history at the corner position. Everett Dawkins (DT) and Markus White are the only returning starters on the D-Line, but every position is up for grabs. Dan Hicks and Brandon Jacobs will battle for the other DE spot, while Anthony McCloud and Jacobbi McDaniel will fight for the other DT spot. Nigel Bradham and Kendall Smith return at LB, but Nigel Carr, who was slated to take the MLB job, was busted on a potential felony just last week, and will likely not be available. With a new starter in the middle, and new starters at safety, the major burden will fall on the line and the corners, and the OLB's will have to be significantly active and may have to abandon some edge rush duties to cover the middle of the field at times. There are enough significant problems on this side of the ball to be concerned. There are two very bright spots in the LB crew, as incoming freshmen Christian Jones and Jeff Luc are expected to contribute right away, and are both highly anticipated.

Special Teams: There are no reasons for concerns with this group. Dustin Hopkins returns at PK and P Shawn Powell returns as well. Greg Reid comes back as the main return man, and is every bit as energetic in the return game as he is covering receivers in the secondary. This group is solid.

The Schedule

Wins: 9/4 Samford, 9/18 BYU, 9/25 Wake Forest, 10/2 Virginia, 11/13 Clemson, 11/20 @ Maryland
Toss Up Games: 10/9 @ Miami, 10/16 Boston College, 10/28 @ NC State, 11/6 North Carolina
Losses: 9/11 @ Oklahoma, 11/27 Florida

The Seminoles have a brutal October slate, and if they can get through unscathed, a huge bowl and ACC title can be attainable. If they bump it around during that span, than another 7 win season could be in line. Miami is always a toss, and BC and NC State have been giving FSU trouble for a long while now, including a loss to BC last season, and a 45-42 shootout against a highly average Wolfpack squad. North Carolina is a fence team in 2010, as they can be great, or they can suck. It's a fine line.

Outlook: So many things can happen at FSU in 2010. If Ponder is 100%, than this offense is built to roll. If he isn't, and only throws a meager 14 TD passes again, then it's going to be a very disappointing year. Fisher has the unenviable position of having to replace a legend, as Bobby Bowden was there since the beginning of time. A new era can mean many things, and this season can turn either way.

Post #1

I have been writing a college football newsletter for a few years now, and went through the process every week of compiling my power poll (PRS-Power Ratings System) and putting together the letter every week, and then I would try to send it out by a certain day of the week. That became an enormous task, and so flinging myself into the blogosphere seemed to be a better way to streamline the entire porcess. I hope that everyone that reads this blog gets some enjoyment out of it. I hope that it is informative and entertaining, and please let me know how you are enjoying it. NCAA Football season is right around the corner, so good luck to all of your favorite teams in 2010 and beyond.

Scott