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2009 Boston College Football Predictions

The Boston College Eagles brought home another Atlantic Division title in 2008, finishing the year 9-5 and 5-3 in ACC play. They return 12 starters from last year’s championship squad, but can they make it three straight Atlantic crowns as the program moves forward under first-year head man Frank Spaziani? Get my take in this 2009 college football predictions preview. Boston College is listed at +20,000 to win the BCS championship at Sportsbook.com.

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Offense – The Eagles face the tall task of breaking in a new quarterback this season. The coaching staff has a pair of  inexperienced signal callers to choose from in Justin Tuggle and Codi Boek.  Dominique Davis looked to be the favorite given his three starts last season when Chris Crane went down, but he has decided to transfer following his academic suspension.  With offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill installing the spread, Davis may not have been the best fit anyhow.  Boek played in a system similar to Tranquill’s in juco ball and Tuggle looks to be the QB of the future.  The good news is that the new starting quarterback will have some nice weaponry to work with. Two skilled running backs return in Montel Harris and Josh Haden. Harris rushed for 900 yards and five scores last season. The team’s top receiver, Rich Grunnell, is also back after hauling in 49 passes for 551 yards and four scores. The offensive line should be a strength as well with four of five starters coming back.

Defense – B.C. won the majority of its games on the defensive side of the football last season. They ranked fifth in the country in total defense, allowing only 268.1 yards per game, and they were particularly stingy against the run thanks to a pair of big run stuffers inside. But a step backward has to be expected after losing both B.J. Raji and Ron Brace. The dynamic tackle duo combined for 69 stops, including 24 for loss, and 10 sacks last season.  The Eagles thought they had dodged a bullet when star linebacker Mark Herzlich decided not to enter the NFL draft, but it turns out that he will miss the season after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma.  Herzlich did it all for the Eagles last season and his performance earned him ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He led the squad with 110 stops and 11 of those were for a loss. He also picked off six passes, which was the most in the country for a linebacker. The linebacker unit was looking pretty solid until his unfortunate news and it does not help matters that senior middle linebacker Mike McLaughlin tore his Achilles. At this point, McLaughlin’s return is uncertain. The secondary should be a strength, just as it was last season when it picked off 26 passes – tops in the nation. However, that number will likely go down some as the Eagles don’t figure to get as much penetration up front.

Prediction: 5th ACC Atlantic – With a new coach, a new offense, a new starting quarterback, and with huge losses on the defensive front, I don’t expect the Eagles to take home a third straight Atlantic crown. They should be in most games, but a finish near the bottom on the Atlantic seems inevitable given all the changes. Boston College is listed at +2000 to win the ACC Atlantic Division.

Cut the football odds makers down to size in 2009 with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks!

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