Doubting Boston College

Before we begin, a quick note from the CEO of Eye on the Tigers: The cynics among you might glance at the above picture and conclude that the topic of today's blog was chosen with disingenuous intentions, that it's merely an opportunity for LW to post yet another picture of Magnum P.I. Before we start getting questions on it, LW regrets to say he can neither confirm nor deny that this is the case.

We all know that Clemson can make people look like fools for thinking the Tigers are poised for greatness. The examples are numerous, but the one that stands out is the 2008 season when Clemson began ranked No. 8 in the land, only to lose four of its first five games against Division I-A opponents.

We'll show some mercy and go ahead and stop there, because that's not the point of this blog.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Boston College, which has defied expectations in a much different way. How many times has everyone buried the Eagles before the season, in one way or another, only to watch them vastly exceed expectations?

Raise your hand if you picked the Eagles to win the Atlantic Division in 2007.

Or 2008.

Speak up if you thought they'd finish anywhere but last in the Atlantic last year (they won eight and finished second).

In five years of ACC membership, Boston College has compiled a 47-19 overall record. That ranks second to only Virginia Tech (52-15). In conference play, the Eagles are 26-14. That's second to Virginia Tech (31-9) and Georgia Tech (28-12).

So skepticism of this program is becoming a more foolhardy endeavor by the season.

But guess what: I'm skeptical.

Some people are picking the Eagles to win the Atlantic this year. A lot of people, including the reputable folks at Pre-Snap Read, have them in the Top 25.

I'm not going to totally discount these notions, because discounting almost any notion in college football has become just plain silly.

But I'm finding it hard to buy in for a number of reasons.

The latest is illustrated in this story by The Boston Globe's Mark Blaudschun.

Apparently senior Ifeanyi Momah, listed as a first-team receiver, is also a candidate to play on the defensive line.

“He’s a wide receiver,’’ said Spaziani, “and we will use him in certain defensive situations because he has the ability to pass rush. We will just see how it goes.’’

Throughout much of the spring, Spaziani believed that Momah would help the Eagles more on defense as the coach dealt with injuries, graduation, and defections along the defensive line.

But with the ever-reliable Rich Gunnell graduating at wide receiver, Spaziani had depth concerns at that position as well, with veterans such as Colin Larmond Jr. and Flutie joined by a group of newcomers, including highly touted Shakim Phillips, whom the Eagles plucked out of their deep New Jersey recruiting base.

McGovern and offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill lobbied to add Momah to their depth chart. Right now, Spaziani is compromising.

Maybe this dude is just a total do-it-all stud. But it looks like this back-and-forth routine is an attempt to plug major holes at positions of weakness.

Which position is weaker, WR or DL? Hard to say.

At WR, the Eagles lost Rich Gunnell and Justin Jarvis. Those two guys combined for 45 career starts. Colin Larmond Jr. appears to have some big-play potential, but beyond that there ain't much. Starter Billy Flutie has more than three times as many career punts (16) as receptions (5).

On the DL, the Eagles lost tackle Austin Giles and end Jim Ramella. Those two guys combined for 60 career starts. Junior tackle Kaleb Ramsey, listed as a starter on the preseason depth chart, is AWOL. And senior Damik Scafe, also listed as a starter at tackle, is having back problems.

Don't mean to sound like a homer here, but how could one look at the talent of Clemson and Boston College and conclude that the Eagles are better? The Tigers certainly have some issues, most notably at receiver. But Clemson is a long way from having to throw an offensive skill player onto the defensive line to see if he can generate some pass rush.

And yes, I'm fully aware of Boston College's friendly schedule. Two of the Eagles' three cross-division foes are Virginia and Duke. And two of their toughest games (Virginia Tech and Clemson) are at home, where Boston College has been tough to beat.

But sorry ... staying away from the B.C. Kool-Aid for now.

Fool me five times...

Speaking of Pre-Snap read, they have their previews for No. 26 Auburn and No. 27 Florida State.

Is it just me, or is Clemson's stock going up with each dose of bad news from Tallahassee and Chestnut Hill?

Mark Herzlich missed the second day of Boston College's camp with what's believed to be a stress fracture. Sad news, because I think everyone is pulling for the guy.

Really cool that there's so much respect between Herzy and the folks at Clemson. I was talking with Brandon Maye the other day, and he said he keeps in touch with Herzy after Maye and a few teammates took Herzy bowling after last year's 25-7 Clemson victory at Death Valley. They reconnected at the ACC title game, and you can tell there's a lot of mutual admiration.

Heather Dinich releases her ACC preseason power rankings, and she has a switch at the top.

Miami has enough talent, depth and experience to win its first Coastal Division title. There’s nothing wrong with the Hokie Hype, but having to replace six – possibly seven – starters on defense is a tall task even for Bud Foster.

You know, I'm not necessarily buying that Miami has the fewest overall questions. But I'm on board with the skepticism that Virginia Tech's questions on the defensive front could be trouble for the Hokies.

They certainly could win the Coastal. But are they a Top 10 team right now? I tend to doubt it. Though underestimating Foster and Co. is always a dangerous proposition.

Here's what HD had to say about Clemson, which she ranks No. 6:

The return of Kyle Parker instantly increased the Tigers’ chances of defending their Atlantic Division title, but Parker alone can't compensate for the losses of C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.

Over at Auburn, Trooper Taylor talks about his young receivers.

Some other Taylor highlights:

**He said Kodi Burns had a good day catching, including a 60-yarder from Cam Newton.

"A beautiful throw and catch,'' Taylor said.

Taylor also mentioned freshman Antonio Goodwin and returnees Emory Blake and Terrell Zachery. Taylor said freshman Trovon Reed, one of the stars in the summer workouts, is slowed by an undisclosed injury.

"He's like a limo with no gas. He can't go,'' Taylor said.

In Atlanta, Paul Johnson really likes the depth he has on the OL.

*****BREAKING NEWS******

One of college football's most venerable traditions is no longer: Papa John's has pulled its sponsorship from the bowl at Birmingham's Legion Field.

Apparently the brainiacs at Papa John's figured hooking up with the NFL was smarter than sponsoring this monster bowl.

What in the world could they have been thinking?

The Baltimore Sun has an interview with James Franklin, who has something in common with Kevin Steele.

Franklin is known for his passion. At halftime of Maryland's 2008 victory over California, a buoyant Franklin punched an erasable board used to diagram plays, sending it tumbling to the floor.


LW