Another great OOC game scheduled

[commavegarage]

@McMurphyESPN: Boston College to host Buffalo on Oct. 1, 2016 source told @ESPN. BC will pay Buffalo $700K says @mattbc03, who reported it first

[dtwalrus]

@McMurphyESPN: Boston College to host Buffalo on Oct. 1, 2016 source told @ESPN. BC will pay Buffalo $700K says @mattbc03, who reported it first

Basically, with this Bates has just guaranteed we avoid the worst case scenario for 2016: only 5 home games. At the very least it'll now be the 3 ACC home games (less GT), UMass, Buffalo and a still to be scheduled FCS.

It also keeps alive the slim possibility of what Bates has said is the priority with scheduling: 7 home games. Still very unlikely, but if we can find a baby rapists we can still push @N.Illinois to 2017 and have an actually decent 2016 schedule.

[MattTheEagle]

The 2016 schedule is probably going to be pretty sucky, but overall this is more good than bad. We had limited options still available to schedule an FBS home game with Buffalo being one of the few realistic possibilities (as pointed out by the w3irdos at BCI).

This at least gives us a complete slate of home games and avoids another 2 FCS disaster.

[eepstein0]

This AD has no clue what he's doing when it comes to scheduling. You already have UMass on the schedule in 2016 why are we playing another MAC team

[claver2010]

This AD has no clue what he's doing when it comes to scheduling. You already have UMass on the schedule in 2016 why are we playing another MAC team

Epstein, we greatly appreciate your feedback. When considering the out of conference schedule we factor in a lot of things. First, it's all about student-athlete development. We incorporate their best interests with the goals of the coaching staff. Finally, we want the gameday experience in the ACC.

Boston College is the only top 35 university, competing at the highest level for football, in a world class city that is an institution founded by the Jesuits.

I invite you to a townhall in a couple of weeks where we will solicit more valuable feedback from passionate Boston College supporters such as yourself and will do minimal with that feedback. A couple examples of practices we've implemented are: affordable single game parking, DBS parking where the rates are in line with market demands, allow cars on campus early like they do for UMass games at Gillette, put bathrooms in the upper deck, & eliminated sesame seed pretzels!

As always, we appreciate you reaching out. My office is always open to passionate fans, such as yourself.

Brad

[eepstein0]

This AD has no clue what he's doing when it comes to scheduling. You already have UMass on the schedule in 2016 why are we playing another MAC team

Epstein, we greatly appreciate your feedback. When considering the out of conference schedule we factor in a lot of things. First, it's all about student-athlete development. We incorporate their best interests with the goals of the coaching staff. Finally, we want the gameday experience in the ACC.

Boston College is the only top 35 university, competing at the highest level for football, in a world class city that is an institution founded by the Jesuits.

I invite you to a townhall in a couple of weeks where we will solicit more valuable feedback from passionate Boston College supporters such as yourself and will do minimal with that feedback. A couple examples of practices we've implemented are: affordable single game parking, DBS parking where the rates are in line with market demands, allow cars on campus early like they do for UMass games at Gillette, put bathrooms in the upper deck, & eliminated sesame seed pretzels!

As always, we appreciate you reaching out. My office is always open to passionate fans, such as yourself.

Brad

Thanks Brad. I applaud your ability to write template emails and really do nothing else useful as an AD

[commavegarage]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

[MilitantEagle]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

[ATLeagle]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

The thing I defended is that he got another home game without resorting to a second FCS game. Addazio wants the cupcakes, so he's supporting his coach's plan to build the program. I don't love Addazio cupcaking and will expect him to upgrade it in Year 5 and Year 6. If we can't get an annual Power 5 game, we need to start scheduling a non-conference ACC game.

[claver2010]

As a season ticket holder, the 2015 & 2016 schedules are atrocious.

[DavidGordonsFoot]

As a season ticket holder, the 2015 & 2016 schedules are atrocious.

Don't worry, in 2035 we will finally get that home game with Ohio State.

[commavegarage]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

The thing I defended is that he got another home game without resorting to a second FCS game. Addazio wants the cupcakes, so he's supporting his coach's plan to build the program. I don't love Addazio cupcaking and will expect him to upgrade it in Year 5 and Year 6. If we can't get an annual Power 5 game, we need to start scheduling a non-conference ACC game.

this is stupid.

to your point and everybody who has made the point to me before, in year 5 / 6 people will be saying "YOU CAN'T EXPECT TO GET A HOME AND HOME WITH OREGON THIS YEAR!! YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE THESE THINGS YEARS IN ADVANCE"

the fact that we haven't loaded up anything for year 5 and year 6 already means better games arent coming then

[twballgame9]

Wait, they dumped the sesame seed pretzel? This is HUGE news.

[MilitantEagle]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

The thing I defended is that he got another home game without resorting to a second FCS game. Addazio wants the cupcakes, so he's supporting his coach's plan to build the program. I don't love Addazio cupcaking and will expect him to upgrade it in Year 5 and Year 6. If we can't get an annual Power 5 game, we need to start scheduling a non-conference ACC game.

this is stupid.

to your point and everybody who has made the point to me before, in year 5 / 6 people will be saying "YOU CAN'T EXPECT TO GET A HOME AND HOME WITH OREGON THIS YEAR!! YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE THESE THINGS YEARS IN ADVANCE"

the fact that we haven't loaded up anything for year 5 and year 6 already means better games arent coming then

We will have better games in Years 5 and 6. These games will be the ACC Championship and the playoff games. Oh yeah.

[ATLeagle]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

The thing I defended is that he got another home game without resorting to a second FCS game. Addazio wants the cupcakes, so he's supporting his coach's plan to build the program. I don't love Addazio cupcaking and will expect him to upgrade it in Year 5 and Year 6. If we can't get an annual Power 5 game, we need to start scheduling a non-conference ACC game.

this is stupid.

to your point and everybody who has made the point to me before, in year 5 / 6 people will be saying "YOU CAN'T EXPECT TO GET A HOME AND HOME WITH OREGON THIS YEAR!! YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE THESE THINGS YEARS IN ADVANCE"

the fact that we haven't loaded up anything for year 5 and year 6 already means better games arent coming then

I agree. We should have those Power 5 games locked in now. But I think Bates/Addazio are slowing playing it to see if the nine game Power 5 mandate sticks, to see if BYU might count as Power 5 and to see where the ACC goes with 9 games. I think in the end we fail at this musical chairs, play cupcakes and Addazio will be happy.

[Bryn Mawr Eagle]

Wait, they dumped the sesame seed pretzel? This is HUGE news.

This blew me away too. I absolutely love those things. Are they seriously gone?

[eepstein0]

As a season ticket holder, the 2015 & 2016 schedules are atrocious.

What's the point of buying season tickets anymore? I don't because there's no reason to. I'm not paying $55 a ticket to watch games against FCS teams, crappy MAC teams, etc. I'll just buy one outside for $10.

Playing these teams sucks and is frankly boring. A perfect schedule again is:

FCS
UMass
P5 peer school or BYU
Big Time Program

If in down years you want to replace P5 Peer School with an upper level MAC team then fine, but playing 2 FCS teams or 3 MAC teams is boring and does nothing for your recruiting. If you can't figure out how to win 6 games over FCS, UMass, and 4 teams at the bottom of the crappy ACC you don't deserve to make a bowl. The ACC is very top heavy, but the bottom of the conference is bad (I'm looking at you NCST, Cuse, and Wake).

[eepstein0]

I'm just waiting for the atl post defending the game.

he defends bates' scheduling like he defends

Why do you only blame Bates and not Addazio? In my opinion, Addazio wants the cupcakes.

The thing I defended is that he got another home game without resorting to a second FCS game. Addazio wants the cupcakes, so he's supporting his coach's plan to build the program. I don't love Addazio cupcaking and will expect him to upgrade it in Year 5 and Year 6. If we can't get an annual Power 5 game, we need to start scheduling a non-conference ACC game.

this is stupid.

to your point and everybody who has made the point to me before, in year 5 / 6 people will be saying "YOU CAN'T EXPECT TO GET A HOME AND HOME WITH OREGON THIS YEAR!! YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE THESE THINGS YEARS IN ADVANCE"

the fact that we haven't loaded up anything for year 5 and year 6 already means better games arent coming then

I agree. We should have those Power 5 games locked in now. But I think Bates/Addazio are slowing playing it to see if the nine game Power 5 mandate sticks, to see if BYU might count as Power 5 and to see where the ACC goes with 9 games. I think in the end we fail at this musical chairs, play cupcakes and Addazio will be happy.

Even if the ACC goes to 9 games (and they should), you have no excuse for FCS, MAC, MAC as your other 3 games.

[rktbrkr]

It makes sense to schedule regional games to fill out the schedule. Why get involved with the travel to play in New Mex when there is an assortment of northeastern schools like Buffalo, Albany, Stony Brook. Buffalo is probably the best of the bunch since UCONN is apparently PNG.

Try to get a game each year in metro NYC/NJ/PA area with USMA/PSU/Rutgirls/Nova to improve visibility in HS recruit market.

[dtwalrus]

I think it's clear that Daz would prefer at most one challenging OOC game each year and 3 cupcakes, and that Bates has been willing to give it to him. Just accept that 2015 will be bad. Just accept that 2016 will be terrible. We were in a scheduling bind and Bates clearly just threw in the towel and acquiesced to Daz.

But If you accept that and realize that scheduling a P5 is the only real significant scheduling challenge that there is, then there actually isn't a lot of work left to be done on the OOC schedule moving forward.

Needs Work:
- 2018: Need P5 and cupcake. Currently Holy Cross and UMass.
- 2020: Need P5 and two cupcakes. Currently Holy Cross
- 2021: No games scheduled.
- 2026: No games scheduled.

Generally Done:
- 2017: ND (will be no trouble scheduling a FCS and two cupcakes).
- 2019: @ND (will be no trouble scheduling a FCS and two cupcakes).
- 2022: @ND (again...)
- 2023: @Ohio State (again...)
- 2024: Ohio State (again...)
- 2025: Notre Dame (again...)

Clearly the cupcakes need to be scheduled and scheduled well to optimize home games. But all I'm saying is that there's no real reason to panic about scheduling. Sure, we got screwed in 2015 and 2016 but, if you can just accept that, it becomes clear that moving forward from there things aren't that dire. We need a 2018-2020/2021 P5 home and home. And we need a 2020/2021-2026 P5 home and home. That's it.

tl;dr We only need two P5 series to be scheduled and the soonest we need it by is 3 years from now. Maybe this is why Bates seems so confident and unconcerned.

btw: There was talk of a Penn State series. They need a P5 in 2021 and 2026. That would take care of that and leave us with just 2018 and 2020.

[PhillyandBCEagles]

I understand the need to play cupcakes, I just think we need to make them either interesting games, key recruiting territory, or both. Tulane, Rice, SMU, Temple, San Jose State, San Diego State, service academies, midwestern MAC teams good. Buffalo and New Mexico State bad.

[BCHighGuybutRiceOwl]

I understand the need to play cupcakes, I just think we need to make them either interesting games, key recruiting territory, or both. Tulane, Rice, SMU, Temple, San Jose State, San Diego State, service academies, midwestern MAC teams good. Buffalo and New Mexico State bad.

I'm going to speak to Rice, as it is who I am most familiar with, but this may apply to others. Rice has no incentive to schedule BC unless it's a home-and-home. Because of our location/history, we can demand home-and-homes with P5 schools. We have/recently had H&Hs with Stanford, Baylor, A&M, Wake, UCLA, Kansas, Purdue, Vandy, Northwestern and Boise (not P5, but you get the point), on our schedule currently. We would be more than happy to schedule BC, but it would need to be a home and home, which everybody on here would complain about. We only do "money games" with former SWC schools like UT and Arkansas, and other big schools like LSU.

Had a bit of time, so I checked SDSU... They currently have H&Hs with Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona..

Another "issue" with SDSU and Rice in particular is that they are decent, but not great teams. Still, they can beat BC, like Colorado State did. The Past three seasons, Rice has gone 7-6, 10-4, 8-5... SDSU has gone 9-4, 8-5, 7-6...

I guess to sum it all up, would you rather schedule a game with Buffalo who won't make you play them at their place and probably won't beat you, or trudge across the country to play a team that might beat you.

[dtwalrus]

I understand the need to play cupcakes, I just think we need to make them either interesting games, key recruiting territory, or both. Tulane, Rice, SMU, Temple, San Jose State, San Diego State, service academies, midwestern MAC teams good. Buffalo and New Mexico State bad.

I'm going to speak to Rice, as it is who I am most familiar with, but this may apply to others. Rice has no incentive to schedule BC unless it's a home-and-home. Because of our location/history, we can demand home-and-homes with P5 schools. We have/recently had H&Hs with Stanford, Baylor, A&M, Wake, UCLA, Kansas, Purdue, Vandy, Northwestern and Boise (not P5, but you get the point), on our schedule currently. We would be more than happy to schedule BC, but it would need to be a home and home, which everybody on here would complain about. We only do "money games" with former SWC schools like UT and Arkansas, and other big schools like LSU.

Had a bit of time, so I checked SDSU... They currently have H&Hs with Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona..

Another "issue" with SDSU and Rice in particular is that they are decent, but not great teams. Still, they can beat BC, like Colorado State did. The Past three seasons, Rice has gone 7-6, 10-4, 8-5... SDSU has gone 9-4, 8-5, 7-6...

I guess to sum it all up, would you rather schedule a game with Buffalo who won't make you play them at their place and probably won't beat you, or trudge across the country to play a team that might beat you.

I think most BC fans are aware that we're not exactly the type of school that can demand 2-for-1's, unless it's UConn (come on 2-at-BC, 1-at-The Rent, 1-at-Fenway). I think moving forward there will be a lot of home-and-home's with G5's mixed with some one-off buyout games. I'd be ok with a Rice home-and-home, especially because it is, in fact, a guaranteed win. Because Daz has BC-being-BC again, especially with the recruits coming in. (All in good fun.)

[EagleDave]

I understand the need to play cupcakes, I just think we need to make them either interesting games, key recruiting territory, or both. Tulane, Rice, SMU, Temple, San Jose State, San Diego State, service academies, midwestern MAC teams good. Buffalo and New Mexico State bad.

I'm going to speak to Rice, as it is who I am most familiar with, but this may apply to others. Rice has no incentive to schedule BC unless it's a home-and-home. Because of our location/history, we can demand home-and-homes with P5 schools. We have/recently had H&Hs with Stanford, Baylor, A&M, Wake, UCLA, Kansas, Purdue, Vandy, Northwestern and Boise (not P5, but you get the point), on our schedule currently. We would be more than happy to schedule BC, but it would need to be a home and home, which everybody on here would complain about. We only do "money games" with former SWC schools like UT and Arkansas, and other big schools like LSU.

Had a bit of time, so I checked SDSU... They currently have H&Hs with Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona..

Another "issue" with SDSU and Rice in particular is that they are decent, but not great teams. Still, they can beat BC, like Colorado State did. The Past three seasons, Rice has gone 7-6, 10-4, 8-5... SDSU has gone 9-4, 8-5, 7-6...

I guess to sum it all up, would you rather schedule a game with Buffalo who won't make you play them at their place and probably won't beat you, or trudge across the country to play a team that might beat you.

As a fan, I'd MUCH rather the H&H with a team that might beat us because it's INFINITELY more interesting than watching us pound the daylights out of [interchangeable MAC/FCS school], even at our place. I'd rather play one or two road/neutral games we could lose than load up on cream filled cupcakes like we've done the next few seasons.

The whole "path of least resistance (to 6 wins)" is already boring after just two years and smacks of the "Ever to Mediocrity" mantra that was prevalent under past regimes. At a certain point, it becomes time to toss this team (and Daz) into the deep water and see who swims.

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

sorry eagledave, in this millennial fan base we strive to schedule the 4 weakest teams that we can and pray that our acc schedule lines up with the shittiest teams from the other division. that will allow us an inflated rating/ranking that gets us to the same shitty bowl as a 7-5 schedule would have gotten us to.

yay victories. boo measuring quality of victories

[eepstein0]

sorry eagledave, in this millennial fan base we strive to schedule the 4 weakest teams that we can and pray that our acc schedule lines up with the shittiest teams from the other division. that will allow us an inflated rating/ranking that gets us to the same shitty bowl as a 7-5 schedule would have gotten us to.

yay victories. boo measuring quality of victories

Sort of this. This is the last year I'll be okay with this type of scheduling. Beating 4 horrible OOC teams and Wake and Syracuse does not make for a successful season.

[dtwalrus]

sorry eagledave, in this millennial fan base we strive to schedule the 4 weakest teams that we can and pray that our acc schedule lines up with the shittiest teams from the other division. that will allow us an inflated rating/ranking that gets us to the same shitty bowl as a 7-5 schedule would have gotten us to.

yay victories. boo measuring quality of victories

Sort of this. This is the last year I'll be okay with this type of scheduling. Beating 4 horrible OOC teams and Wake and Syracuse does not make for a successful season.

2016 is the last forgivable year in my book.

- 2017 already looks better with 7 home games highlighted by FSU, VT, and ND, with hopefully a decent home G5 added too.
- 2018 has appeal as well, with hopefully another 7 home games, including Clemson, Louisville, Miami and local favorites like Syracuse, UMass and Holy Cross. Add a decent home G5 and I think it's OK to play a road baby rapists this year to get a return trip down the road.

Not worth looking further out than that though...

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

sorry eagledave, in this millennial fan base we strive to schedule the 4 weakest teams that we can and pray that our acc schedule lines up with the shittiest teams from the other division. that will allow us an inflated rating/ranking that gets us to the same shitty bowl as a 7-5 schedule would have gotten us to.

yay victories. boo measuring quality of victories

Sort of this. This is the last year I'll be okay with this type of scheduling. Beating 4 horrible OOC teams and Wake and Syracuse does not make for a successful season.

the good thing about your philosophy is that we can wait until the summer before the season's supposed to start and fill up our schedule with desirable opponents. no one looks a year or five in advance when setting a football schedule so this current flutter of inactivity should be no cause for alarm for any period in the distant (more than 2 years away) future

[eepstein0]

sorry eagledave, in this millennial fan base we strive to schedule the 4 weakest teams that we can and pray that our acc schedule lines up with the shittiest teams from the other division. that will allow us an inflated rating/ranking that gets us to the same shitty bowl as a 7-5 schedule would have gotten us to.

yay victories. boo measuring quality of victories

Sort of this. This is the last year I'll be okay with this type of scheduling. Beating 4 horrible OOC teams and Wake and Syracuse does not make for a successful season.

the good thing about your philosophy is that we can wait until the summer before the season's supposed to start and fill up our schedule with desirable opponents. no one looks a year or five in advance when setting a football schedule so this current flutter of inactivity should be no cause for alarm for any period in the distant (more than 2 years away) future

I can assure you that Buffalo, UMass, etc. won't be Top 10 five years from now.

Good try though.

[Thornton Melon]

I will give the ticket office a little credit. They've been chasing me down for a while to renew football tix.

I give to the school via different means so this isn't an issue of not donating to the school, but finally the ticket guy caught me and I emailed him about how ridiculous the next two years home schedules are (I know that no one here is focused on one issue with the schedule, but I have two fairly young kids - that Va Tech game is almost unattendable with trick or treating starting around 5, 530 even if it's a 12PM start...)

He took it in stride and basically admitted the thing was a piece of crap and offered to help with individual game tickets. Very little argument about why I should pay good money for the slop of a schedule.

Better than I expected.