BC-Pitt preview - Boston Sports Today

Due to college football’s short season, momentum swings can be huge. It was only a few weeks ago BC was in the throes of a losing streak while Pitt was off to their best start in years. Now BC has found its footing and Pitt comes into this game in free fall. But it won’t be easy. It never is. O’Brien and crew need to keep focused and finish the regular season strong. While seemingly trivial, the difference between six and seven wins is huge.

What’s on my mind (not totally related to this game)
While most of us are focused on family, food and football, BC Basketball pulled off a nice little upset and won the Cayman Islands Classic. Expectations are low for Earl as they dealt with significant roster turnover in the offseason. But clearly the team didn’t seem bothered by the last place predictions. All of college sports is in flux due to the portal, but basketball is probably most unpredictable because of how small the roster is. I don’t want to see our players walk every season, but if Earl continues to find the right type of guys to fill out his roster and compete, who cares what the college basketball world thinks.

Three Simple Keys

1. Give their QBs lots of looks. Whether it is Holstein or Yarnell, BC needs to mix it up so that they throw some pics.

2. Get the running backs involved in the passing game. Kye and Ward are both good pass catchers. They can make plays and will probably be easy throws for James.
3. Establish an early lead. Pitt is struggling. We need to crush their spirit right away and don’t look back.

Gambling Notes
— Pitt leads the series 18-15
— Pitt last won in Alumni in 2014

— Pitt is 7-4 against the spread this year

The current lines is BC-4.5

Factoid
With all the conference shakeups, Pitt joining the ACC might have been inevitable, but they owe former BC AD Gene DeFilippo for their spot in the Power 4. Gene, who claimed he held no grudge, openly bragged about how he lobbied against UConn and for Pitt when the ACC expanded to add some of the remaining Big East teams.

Scoreboard Watching
Syracuse-Miami. Because of our standing and the ACC bowl mix, this game probably has the biggest bowl implications. We want Miami to stomp the Orange so they keep hope alive for multiple ACC teams in the playoffs. We also want Syracuse looking spent so that we become more appealing to the lower-tier bowl games.

BC is in trouble if…Pitt stops the run. We showed more balance last week and I do think James can throw, bu I don’t think we want to get into a game where we one dimensional in the air.

I hope to see…no field goals and no punts. That graph from last week about the fewest field goals was a reminder of the futility. Why not embrace it at this point. Just go for it the whole time!

Bottom Line
We are winning this one. No hedging. No worries. We are playing well and Pitt is not. Sometimes it is that simple. I think we dominate in most aspects and end the regular season feeling really good about everything.
Final Score: BC 35, Pitt 17