BC Football’s ACC Preseason 5th-Place Spot Not Unfair

Yesterday, 2012 Boston College football was met by the ACC media corps with general preemptive disdain, as those gathered in Greensboro for the ACC Media Days selected the Eagles 5th in the ACC Atlantic. The full standings from first to last were Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, BC, and Maryland.

We are where we probably deserve to be at this stage. That does not mean Boston College is going to finish fifth; it just means that the bar is not set very high. This is a reaction by the media folk to where BC finished last year, and they’re essentially saying to us “if you’re better than this, prove it.”

If anyone is going apoplectic over these, don’t. For some historical reference, BC was picked fourth in the division last year with two first place votes and an ACC championship vote. Florida State was also crowned before the season started, and we all know how both of those turned out. The Seminoles lead the league in being hysterically overrated every year, but unfortunately for the boys in Tallahassee, you don’t get a trophy for winning the preseason. The good news for Boston College is that you also don’t have to throw up the white flag if you get picked near the basement of your conference in July.

The overall point we’re building to is this: these guys with votes can put BC wherever they want. Right now, they think we’re about the same as last year, and that’s their opinion. Based off of where we were, I can’t say I’d put us too much higher. Expectations aren’t high, and that’s a fact. It is incumbent upon the Eagles to prove them wrong.