Ranking BC's 2019 football games in order of difficulty
Justin Rowland • EagleAction
In college football, every game matters. There's a playoff, but the regular season is still a kind of playoff, more than in any other major sport.
And some games are more difficult than others.
Eagle Action breaks down BC's dozen 2019 football games in order of difficulty, from the easiest to the toughest.
12. Richmond
Scholarship advantages give FBS teams substantial advantages against teams at the FCS level. Some Spider teams have been feisty in the past, but last year's finished at the bottom of the CAA standings and they might still be rebuilding.
11. Kansas
Les Miles is taking on a huge rebuilding project in Lawrence where he inherits the nation's worst Power Five program of the past decade. The Jayhawks have fallen off a cliff and have been awful since the end of the Mark Mangino era a decade ago. Everyone will pick KU to finish at the bottom of the barrel in the Big XII even if they make strides under Miles. Running back Pooka Williams is the one player who could need to be accounted for.
10. at Louisville
Scott Satterfield really has his work cut out for him, inheriting a team that returns 10 defensive starters but from a unit that allowed 44 points per game last year. The wheels fell off at the end of the Bobby Petrino era, so the first order of business is fixing the locker room. Puma Pass has some potential at quarterback but had an awful passing season as his receivers underachieved last year. But Satterfield is known as a strong X's and O's coach and the Cards should be improved on some level. This should be a win, but road league games are often tricky.
9. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights have been a mess for a while and last year was as bad as it has been at 1-11. However, Rutgers was very competitive with Penn State (20-7) and Michigan (14-10) to close out the 2018 regular season, if their fans are looking for a reason to have some hope. Still, this has to be a win at home for BC.
8. Wake Forest
Dave Clawson has finally stabilized the program he inherited six years ago with the Deacs having reached four straight bowl games. Just above .500 has been the norm in Winston-Salem since 2016 and that could be the case once again. These BC-Wake games have been very close in recent years and that will probably be the case once again.
7. at Pitt
Pitt is in a similar situation to Wake Forest in terms of seeing to have plateaued at a certain win level and there are reasons to believe the Panthers could be formidable, but they will likely be around .500 once again, after losing a pair of 1,000 yard backs in Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall following last season. The offensive line is also retooled but the defense should be solid.
6. NC State
Dave Doeren has succeeded in improving the Wolfpack with back-to-back nine win seasons but much of that was due to a significantly improved offense over those two seasons. The losses on that side of the ball (QB Ryan Finley, RB Reggie Gallaspy and the top two WRs) are significant, however. But NC State could have one of the ACC's better defenses.
5. Virginia Tech
The Hokies should be one of a few teams with legitimate title aspirations at the Coastal division level but last year's Virginia Tech defense was a far cry from what the program's fans have been used to seeing. They do return almost everyone on that side of the ball but have to get better against both the run and pass. Ryan Willis should be one of the league's better quarterbacks, but BC should be able to run the ball against the Hokies again.
4. at Syracuse (11/2)
BC was a 6-point favorite against the Orange in last year's game, the regular season finale for both teams, and Syracuse doubled the Eagles up 42-21. Dino Babers is breaking in a new quarterback but Tommy DeVito does have some experience and the Orange returns most of its starters on both sides of the ball after finishing 10-3 last season. BC's defense must play much better in this game against Syracuse especially with it being on the road late in the year when DeVito is more experienced.
3. Florida State (11/9)
Here's where it gets tricky. Because it's Florida State and because of the talent, it's entirely possible this is a very difficult game even at home. But the Seminoles are coming off 7-6 and 5-7 seasons, and it wouldn't shock anyone if FSU is struggling by this time of year again. But since these games are tough to rank after Clemson and ND, go with talent and FSU is the 3rd most difficult on the schedule, at least on paper.
2. at Notre Dame (11/23)
Notre Dame is expected to be a playoff contender this year so that trip to South Bend will not be easy. Fortunately for BC, it comes after a bye week, so the game could be a trap set up for the Irish. The Eagles have lost six straight games to the Irish and will want to snap that skid badly.
1. at Clemson (10/26)
Playing these Tigers at Death Valley is about as tough as it gets. BC's October 26th trip to Clemson looms as the toughest game on the schedule and it might not be close. While the Tigers lose their vaunted first string defensive line, that front should still be one of the best in the country. And that offense? Scary.
Justin Rowland • EagleAction
In college football, every game matters. There's a playoff, but the regular season is still a kind of playoff, more than in any other major sport.
And some games are more difficult than others.
Eagle Action breaks down BC's dozen 2019 football games in order of difficulty, from the easiest to the toughest.
12. Richmond
Scholarship advantages give FBS teams substantial advantages against teams at the FCS level. Some Spider teams have been feisty in the past, but last year's finished at the bottom of the CAA standings and they might still be rebuilding.
11. Kansas
Les Miles is taking on a huge rebuilding project in Lawrence where he inherits the nation's worst Power Five program of the past decade. The Jayhawks have fallen off a cliff and have been awful since the end of the Mark Mangino era a decade ago. Everyone will pick KU to finish at the bottom of the barrel in the Big XII even if they make strides under Miles. Running back Pooka Williams is the one player who could need to be accounted for.
10. at Louisville
Scott Satterfield really has his work cut out for him, inheriting a team that returns 10 defensive starters but from a unit that allowed 44 points per game last year. The wheels fell off at the end of the Bobby Petrino era, so the first order of business is fixing the locker room. Puma Pass has some potential at quarterback but had an awful passing season as his receivers underachieved last year. But Satterfield is known as a strong X's and O's coach and the Cards should be improved on some level. This should be a win, but road league games are often tricky.
9. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights have been a mess for a while and last year was as bad as it has been at 1-11. However, Rutgers was very competitive with Penn State (20-7) and Michigan (14-10) to close out the 2018 regular season, if their fans are looking for a reason to have some hope. Still, this has to be a win at home for BC.
8. Wake Forest
Dave Clawson has finally stabilized the program he inherited six years ago with the Deacs having reached four straight bowl games. Just above .500 has been the norm in Winston-Salem since 2016 and that could be the case once again. These BC-Wake games have been very close in recent years and that will probably be the case once again.
7. at Pitt
Pitt is in a similar situation to Wake Forest in terms of seeing to have plateaued at a certain win level and there are reasons to believe the Panthers could be formidable, but they will likely be around .500 once again, after losing a pair of 1,000 yard backs in Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall following last season. The offensive line is also retooled but the defense should be solid.
6. NC State
Dave Doeren has succeeded in improving the Wolfpack with back-to-back nine win seasons but much of that was due to a significantly improved offense over those two seasons. The losses on that side of the ball (QB Ryan Finley, RB Reggie Gallaspy and the top two WRs) are significant, however. But NC State could have one of the ACC's better defenses.
5. Virginia Tech
The Hokies should be one of a few teams with legitimate title aspirations at the Coastal division level but last year's Virginia Tech defense was a far cry from what the program's fans have been used to seeing. They do return almost everyone on that side of the ball but have to get better against both the run and pass. Ryan Willis should be one of the league's better quarterbacks, but BC should be able to run the ball against the Hokies again.
4. at Syracuse (11/2)
BC was a 6-point favorite against the Orange in last year's game, the regular season finale for both teams, and Syracuse doubled the Eagles up 42-21. Dino Babers is breaking in a new quarterback but Tommy DeVito does have some experience and the Orange returns most of its starters on both sides of the ball after finishing 10-3 last season. BC's defense must play much better in this game against Syracuse especially with it being on the road late in the year when DeVito is more experienced.
3. Florida State (11/9)
Here's where it gets tricky. Because it's Florida State and because of the talent, it's entirely possible this is a very difficult game even at home. But the Seminoles are coming off 7-6 and 5-7 seasons, and it wouldn't shock anyone if FSU is struggling by this time of year again. But since these games are tough to rank after Clemson and ND, go with talent and FSU is the 3rd most difficult on the schedule, at least on paper.
2. at Notre Dame (11/23)
Notre Dame is expected to be a playoff contender this year so that trip to South Bend will not be easy. Fortunately for BC, it comes after a bye week, so the game could be a trap set up for the Irish. The Eagles have lost six straight games to the Irish and will want to snap that skid badly.
1. at Clemson (10/26)
Playing these Tigers at Death Valley is about as tough as it gets. BC's October 26th trip to Clemson looms as the toughest game on the schedule and it might not be close. While the Tigers lose their vaunted first string defensive line, that front should still be one of the best in the country. And that offense? Scary.
