BC faces dilemma

Athletically, a jump to ACC doesn't make sense

By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff, 10/3/2003

Boston College is once again at a crossroads in its athletic history. Will the Eagles bolt the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference? Will they even be asked? And will it be the right decision?

None of this is new. The same dance was performed by the ACC and Big East this spring and summer in a courtship that rivaled "The Bachelor." That drama ended with the Eagles left at the altar with a red face, partially from pain and partially from anger.

Why do this again?

Athletically, it makes no sense for the Eagles to leave the Big East. Last spring you could have argued that BC was merely trying to ride the same bus as the University of Miami. Without Miami, the prevailing wisdom went, the Big East was dead in the water, a conference that would wither and die (in football, at least).

Some people at The Heights even suggested that if the Eagles were left behind, the football program could be downgraded to the level of Holy Cross's. The Crusaders made a decision not to join the Big East when it was formed more than 20 years ago and then to eliminate athletic scholarships (a process that has gradually been reversed).

Playing in the ACC sounded like a reasonable alternative.

Now? Miami and Virginia Tech, the two strongest powers in the Big East, are gone. The Big East is set to reconfigure itself into an eight- or nine-team football league that won't have Miami and Virginia Tech, but will have Cincinnati and Louisville. And there is less and less talk of the Big East losing its Bowl Championship Series guarantee, especially with a growing sentiment that the BCS will add a fifth bowl to open more slots for other conferences.

The ACC will have Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State as its top-tier teams. On the second tier, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina State are gaining stature with each season. If BC joins the ACC as its 12th team, does anyone really think the Eagles will be close to the top level any time soon? BC hasn't beaten Miami since 1984. It hasn't beaten Virginia Tech since 1995.

Sure, the Eagles under coach Tom O'Brien, who has done a good job of rebuilding the program into a bowl-contending team, can maintain the status quo. Or try to excel in a larger pond with more sharks.

Right now, if BC stays in the Big East, the Eagles will be one of the sharks. A program that should be a contender every year for not only a bowl game, but a BCS slot.

But as some people at BC have pointed out over the past several weeks, this is not strictly an athletic decision. BC president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., is intrigued by the academic aspect of making a move to a conference that includes prestigious academic institutions such as Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. There is talk of an academic consortium in the ACC that would share ideas and thoughts.

The academic side at BC thinks about that and smiles. It looks at the Big East and hears talk of Louisville, Cincinnati, and Central Florida, and no doubt asks, "Where are the common interests?"

The joke in some circles about BC is that the school wants to be Harvard during the week and Miami on weekends. BC's athletic success in football and basketball has been modest at best. Yet, there is almost an elitist attitude about the school that stems from its strong academic reputation.

There is nothing wrong with that. But BC is still a college, whose main purpose is education with athletics as part of that process.

The Eagles could end the speculation about their future tomorrow if they simply came out and said, "Folks, we're happy in the Big East, we have no intention of leaving."

They haven't done that. Which leads to an obvious conclusion: If the ACC calls and asks -- and that call could come tomorrow if the lawsuit against the ACC and Miami is dismissed in Connecticut -- the Eagles will say "yes." But the ACC must act quickly because if the offer doesn't come before the Big East takes care of its business, the Eagles probably will not be interested.

If the case goes to trial, the ACC probably still will ask the Eagles because it has no other viable candidate for the 12th team it desperately needs.

Academically, it might be the right move. Athletically? No way.

Off and running

Some teams stumble out of the gate no matter how good they are. Not Virginia Tech. Going into their first road game of the season against Rutgers tomorrow, the Hokies are 4-0 for the seventh straight season. A year ago, coach Frank Beamer's team started 8-0, but lost four of its last six . . . Another team off to a quick start is Nebraska, which is 4-0, a pleasant experience for hungry Husker Nation after last season's 7-7 disaster that had some fans wondering about the future of coach Frank Solich. Nebraska might lose, but don't expect it to be tomorrow when the Huskers host Troy State. Nebraska has not lost a nonconference home game since Washington State won in Lincoln, 36-21, Sept. 21, 1991, a string of 34 victories. Troy State, despite its upset of Marshall a week ago -- after Marshall had upset Kansas State -- is 0-6 vs. ranked teams and 0-5 vs. Big 12 foes . . . Southern Cal is trying to bounce back from last week's triple-overtime loss to California. "Our big challenge is to put our game back together," said USC coach Pete Carroll, who is preparing the Trojans for tomorrow's game at Arizona State. "We take a lot of pride in our consistency." The loss to California snapped an 11-game winning streak by the Trojans . . . Michigan faces Iowa tomorrow in a Big Ten showdown that has lost some of its luster. Michigan lost to Oregon two weeks ago and was lackadaisical in a 31-17 win over Indiana. Iowa lost to Michigan State last week. "Emotionally, we were certainly not at our peak," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr after the win over Indiana. "I didn't expect us to be. We're coming off two weeks that took a lot out of our football team."

Dawg days

Georgia is coming off a bye week, following a 17-10 loss to LSU, and Bulldogs coach Mark Richt didn't think the off week came at the best of times. "I don't think it's good to have an open week after a loss," said Richt. "Just a lot of time to feel bad. But it's certainly good for our injury situation." Georgia was missing five players because of injuries who now appear ready for tomorrow's game against Alabama. The Crimson Tide are coming off three home losses to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Northern Illinois -- all in the top 20. What's even more frustrating for the Tide is that the three losses were by a total of 13 points. "It will be tough to get ready for this week," said Alabama coach Mike Shula. "But what's the alternative?" . . . With each Penn State loss -- the Nittany Lions are 2-3 coming off a loss to Minnesota -- you hear more of the "Joe must go " talk about coach Joe Paterno. Please. Paterno may have lost a step and needs to refocus. But after more than 50 years at Penn State, Paterno deserves to go out under his terms. Give Paterno credit for knowing when it is time to turn over the keys to the kingdom.

Material for this report was compiled from personal interviews and wire service reports.