NO BLUE FIELD! NO BLUE FIELD! NO BLUE FIELD!

By this time tomorrow we should know who the 2007 ACC Champion is. The Virginia Tech Hokies have been waiting for this day since they were left with their faces (literally) in mud care of Matt Ryan, after the Eagles's 14-points come from behind win in the last two minutes.

The Eagles clinched the opportunity to play for the Conference Championship by defeating the Clemson Tigers late on November 17 and are coming off an emotional win against Miami. The first time they beat Miami since Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass to Gerard Phelan in 1984. At the same time BC was playing Miami last week, the Hokies were playing an equally emotional game against the Virginia Cavaliers to find out who would play BC in the championship.

Think about it, the two teams have been members of the ACC for a combined total of seven years and are competing for the 2007 Conference Championship. It is their turn to shine and they, both, have a lot of motivation to win the Conference Title.

A championship in 2007 would bring the enthusiasm and excitement that was lost on April 16, back to the Virginia Tech student-body. After the year that they have had it would not be all that bad to see the Hokies come away with the champions.

On the other hand, there have been many times when the Eagles came so close but were yet so far. Even though they received a Bowl game each of the past seven years, they never a good Bowl game. This year BC has a chance to be playing in January instead of December. If the Eagles win the conference championship they have a very good chance of playing in the Orange Bowl on January 3. (Note: Bucknell played in, and won, the first Orange Bowl on January 1, 1935.)

Virginia Tech has the moral motivation but BC is motivated by past history and they are one hungry beast. If Hokies could not beat Matt Ryan and the Eagles in sloppy and muddy conditions then I do not see Virginia Tech beating BC on a clear field in Jacksonville.

BOSTON COLLEGE 35
Virginia Tech 20

If A.J. Feeley can be an NFL Quarterback, so too can Matt Ryan....

Completing 64.3% of his passes, A.J. Feeley kept Philadelphia in the game, even giving the Eagles a 28-21 lead a one point. But the Patriots offense was too good for the Philadelphia defense mostly because of Field General Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick in the bunkers.

There were many times during the game where I saw both sides of BC Eagles Quarterback and Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan in Feeley. For the majority of the game, Feeley was Ryan in the last two minutes of the Virginia Tech game but when it really counted, with the Eagles down by three with three minutes left to play, Feeley turned into Ryan of the first 58 minutes of the VT game.

After seeing Feeley play last night I look forward to seeing Matt Ryan playing for an NFL team next year. There is one thing that Ryan has over Feeley, that is when the game needs to be won, Ryan can do that and Feeley can not. He does everything an NFL team looks for in a Quarterback. He can step up in the pocket and take a hit to complete a pass. He can scramble to avoid a hit and he can, most importantly, win the game when it needs to be won. What NFL team does not want a player like that?

I said it last night while watching the game, the Patriots game plan was to make Feeley beat them. The Pats stopped game-changing Running Back, Brian Westbrooke from running away with the game and put the ball in Feeley's hand to be the hero. He came close but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (and maybe golf if you don't have to putt a six inch putt). There are a lot of college quarterbacks better than Feeley and Feeley's keeping the NFL dreams of each and every one of those quarterbacks alive. Including the dreams of BC and Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan.

Comparisons between Ryan and Feeley

In 2007 alone, Ryan completed 333 passes out of 555 attempts for a percentage of 60.0. He threw for 3953 yards with a rating of 130.72.

Over Feeley's career, as predominately a back-up, spot-starter, he completed 353 passes out of 623 attempts for a percentage of 56.7, throwing for 3850 yards with a 72.2 rating.

If the Philadelphia Eagles take Ryan, they will be saying good-bye to Feeley because Ryan is and will be a better back-up than Feeley has been or will ever be.

ACC Play of the Week

Vote for Matt Ryan's game winning 43-yard touchdown pass to Rich Gunnell against the Clemson Tigers at theACC.com. On the right hand side of the page there is a section to vote for the play of the week. Click on the word "Vote" and vote for Ryan's game winning TD. Ryan's play is currently 82 points ahead of Wake Forest's Riley Skinner's 62-yard TD game-shifting pass to Jordan Williams.

Ryan's back in the race for Heisman!!!!

Don't Call It A Comeback

Two years ago it was Craig Smith's team. Last year it was Jared Dudley's team. Now the team belongs to the 6'1" point guard junior from Richmond, Va., Tyrese Rice.

After serving his one-game suspension for a violation of NCAA rules, Rice picked up from where he left off last season with a team leading 21 points and 9 assists against Florida Atlantic. If the Eagles are going anywhere this year it will be because of Rice. Rice along with John Oates and Tyrelle Blair, have to step up their games and show the 5 freshman the way. But it is all going to be on Rice. As a sophomore he was second in points scored, behind Dudley, so it is almost safe to say that he will be leading the team this year. Although I do see sophomore Shamari Spears or freshman Rakim Sanders becoming viable shooters when the Eagles face conference foes Duke, UNC, Maryland and NC State. Those schools will try to double team Rice and will leave, probably, Sanders open for the shot.

Rice came in two years ago when former Eagle Louis Hinnant was the Eagles starting point guard. Coming off the bench as a freshman, Rice learned from Hinnant and now Rice is the teacher. Freshman point guard, Biko Paris looks like he will follow a similar path as Rice. So when Rice leaves, BC will have a point guard to replace him.

Eagles team leaders from the Florida Atlantic game:

Points:
Rice, 21
Spears, 18
Sanders, 11

Assists:
Rice, 9
Tyler Roche, 6
Paris, 2

Rebounds:
Spears, 9
Blair, 4
Rice, 4
Paris, 3
Sanders, 3

"oh those tangled webs we weave...."

Boston College football went from being #2 in the country two weeks ago to #17 after losses to Florida State and Maryland. On the first of November we were all talking about playing in the National Championship against The Ohio State in January and Matt Ryan for Heisman. We were talking about Matt Ryan possibly being an NFL first round draft pick.

Well today, November 12, BC's National Championship hopes have been flushed down the toilet and looks like Ryan's chances for the Heisman are following the same path. In the last two games Ryan had a combined five interceptions and was sacked four times, those four times coming in Saturday's game against Maryland. Not good numbers for a Heisman Trophy candidate.

This always seems to happen to BC, they get close to getting a Bowl game in January and they end up giving it away. Remember in 2003, the last game of the season against the Syracuse Orangemen or the game last year against Miami. It looks like the Eagles will be playing in December again this year instead of January. As a Eagles fan I am shocked and disappointed in the team. After the great comeback in the last two minutes of the Virginia Tech game I thought they had a chance to get a decent Bowl game, Ryan looked like he was going to win the Heisman but it all was too good to be true.

Hopefully they can win their next two games, one at Clemson and the season finale at home against Miami, to clinch the ACC title game. But I do give coach Jags a lot of credit. He prepared the Eagles so well that for a couple of weeks during the year, Boston College made their way to the top of the national rankings. Matt Ryan will probably be taken in the later rounds of the NFL draft, if at all. The FSU and Maryland game really hurt his chances for that too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of Boston College athletics, did you know that they have 30 other athletic teams? BC men's soccer is the #1 seed in the ACC tournament, playing the winner of the Virginia/NC State game in the Quarterfinals on November 14. Men's golf team has four players on the 2007 All-ACC Academic team. Women's soccer finished their season with 14 points at 11-5-3 and 4-4-2 in the ACC. (And what a shocker UNC wins their 19th ACC Championship, note the sarcasm.)

BC Basketball looks good - for a young team - one game into the 2007-2008 season. With junior Tyrese Rice and sophomore Shamari Spears out for NCAA violations, freshman Biko Paris filled in nicely. Paris played all 40 minutes and had 19 points while fellow freshman Rakim Sanders dropped 22 points in 35 minutes in the 10-point win against the University of New Hampshire.

But men's team still have a long road in front of them. They are a young team, after graduating Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall last year, meaning Rice, John Oates and Tyrelle Blair must step up their game and show the younger players the way. Just like Marshall and Dudley did for them last year. And Louis Hinnant and Craig Smith the year before. If they do that, they will have a pretty good year since Al Skinner was named as one of the best recruiters in the country, according to ESPN.

The BC men get back into action at home against Florida Atlantic tonight at 7pm.