The Boston College Eagles are gearing up to play Michigan State today in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando..and evidently, the Eagles aren’t very happy to be there. We provide the following from BC’s top blogger, Eagle in Atlanta:
Let me echo what Jags is saying — this is not where we wanted to be, but winning 11 games is still very important. This is also the last BC football game for nine months, so enjoy every moment.
Laugh out loud!! OMG that hurts!!
Dear, Jags/BC…Guess what…the feeling is mutual. Orlando didn’t want you, either. Hell, NOBODY wants you. And for some reason you are never grateful that the conference has put ridiculous rules in place SOLELY to protect you and allow you to annually ruin the financial statements of our valuable bowl partners.
I happen to be extremely close to members of three different bowls in the ACC’s bowl order – and I cannot stress to you how fearful each of the bowls were that they would end up with Boston College coming to their game. It was a doomsday scenario for everyone. The Eagles couldn’t be more toxic in the bowl community.
A more polite way of expressing the concern could be found in a previous 850Theuzz blog entry:
Our committee is leery of the Eagles and we’re not convinced their fans will support this team on a bowl trip to Atlanta. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has a long tradition of sold-out stadiums and an atmosphere that is as loud as any stadium in the country and we’re not sure a pro sports town like Boston can support their team at that level.
Consider the following: as late as the morning of November 17th a very plausible scenario still existed whereby Boston College would have not earned one of the ACC’s bowl bids even after achieving a #2 national ranking in October and finishing the season with a 5-3 conference record.
Had Boston College ultimately lost to Clemson while a two of three teams comprised of NC State, Maryland and Miami become bowl eligible – then BC would have been fighting for the LAST bowl spot in Boise. The Eagles administration and fans were SO rude and so ungrateful during their last appearance in Boise that nothing short of an explosion of epic proportion from John Swofford and the ACC office could have gotten the Eagles an ACC bowl.
Its funny, because the same Eagle fans who don’t support their team while complaining about how they are treated love to boast about the program’s bowl winning streak of seven that ranks as the nations longest. What I don’t hear a lot about is WHY/HOW the Eagles have won seven in a row.
You see, the Eagles fall so far in bowl selection order each year because their weak fan support that they ultimately play a team of significantly lesser stature. For example, this year the Eagles were the ACC’s second place team (won the tougher Atlantic Division) but fell as far as the ACC’s bowl rules would allow into the 4th bowl slot where they will they will play 7-5 Michigan State, the Big ten’s 5th selection.
Gee…wonder how they perform so well in bowls?
Unfortunately for Boston College, this year’s game in wonderful Orlando isn’t going to do much for their future case. After embarassing the league in the ACC Championship game and issuing a video plea for support, the school literally gave away FREE TICKETS to the game to students. In this article from today’s Boston Herald, the BC administration gives us an optimistic projection for their attendance in Orlando:
BC, however, has failed to improve its reputation as a non-traveling school. Each program was allotted 12,000 tickets. Michigan State has sold between 10,000 and 11,000; BC expects to have between 5,000 and 6,000.
What more can BC want? They are playing in friggin ORLANDO against a recognizable Big Ten opponent on a convenient Friday in between Christmas and New Year’s. By the way…it is currently 77 degrees in Orlando, FL and “feels like” 39 degrees in Boston, MA.
What more could you need to support your team?
