2013 Boston College Football: Best Case, Worst Case, and Expectations
By Joe Micik
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, the worst-case scenario we outlined here on Soaring to Glory very nearly came true, down to the record and embarrassing loss to Army. Of course, we also gave that Eagles team five wins in the official prediction.
Keeping in mind that this is the first year of a major rebuild, there are a few different ways this Boston College football season can go, but not many. Chances are that the end results are going to shade on the lower end of the win spectrum, even if that means we see across-the-board improvement. Though possible, even taking a jump from 2-10 to 6-6 or better will be a grind.
What are the realistic boundaries for this Eagles football team in 2013, and what are the baseline expectations of this team?
2013 Boston College Football: Minimum Expectations
• A 1-0 start. A loss to Villanova won’t be tolerated under any circumstances, as even last year’s team didn’t lose to an FCS squad (no, it doesn’t matter that this one is ranked in the FCS poll).
• At least one road win. Granted, some of BC’s road games this year look very difficult, but they also have New Mexico State and mediocre teams like Maryland and Syracuse. It would be surprising if BC can’t win at least one of those three.
• Improved running game. You cannot possibly have a run game be as bad as BC’s was last season and expect to succeed. Steve Addazio seems to be more of the smashmouth, wear-down-their-defense type of coach, so expect to see some more reliance on the run game, and expect it to look at least a little better than last year (which isn’t saying much, considering it was in the bottom ten).
• Significant improvement in some areas of defense. Playing not to lose or being in the eternal prevent defense wasn’t getting BC anywhere anymore. Boston College’s coaches realize that this team has to take chances if it’s going to win. Don Brown comes here with an aggressive coaching scheme and for some players, it will pay immediate dividends. Expect many more blitzes, an overall spike in the number of BC sacks, and some more hands-on play from the secondary.