Sunday, December 8, 2013

RECKLESS SCHEDULING 2014: v 1.0

While we're waiting for our bowl destination (Shreveport or Dallas seem to be the most likely), let's get our hands dirty around the 2014 schedule since the news of a 7th home game with Colorado State was announced Friday.

Non-Conference Home Games:
USC (9/13), Colorado State (9/27*), Maine (TBD)
*This fills the Parent's Weekend slot, which is fantastic given it's a way to sell tickets and, due to lack of TV interest, will likely be a 1 or 2 p.m. game.

Non-Conference "Away" Game:
@UMass (at Gillette)

ACC Home Games:
Clemson, Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville**
**Likely - this assumes they jump right into the Maryland slot

ACC Away Games
Florida State, Wake Forest, NC State, Virginia Tech

Other Considerations
-Games begin in August and there are five Saturdays in November, so that means two bye weeks.
-BC will again get at least one Friday game, likely at home

Here's the template, based on what is known:

8/30 - @UMass
9/6 - ___
9/13 - USC
9/20 - ___
9/27 - Colorado State
10/4 - ___
10/11 - ___
10/18 - ___
10/25 - ___
11/1 - ___
11/8 - ___
11/15 - ___
11/22 - ___
11/29 - ___

First assumptions
-I'll all but guarantee that BC-Syracuse is going to be Thanksgiving, and I anticipate that being a permanent fixture moving forward. This could also be a flex Friday game, which I think would be better for non-area alums given the holiday, as opposed to the mid-fall Friday.
-Pitt is likely to play in Boston in November; between the full roster of OOC games Pitt has booked in September and that the ACC may try to keep cold weather from being a factor for as few teams as possible, it lines up
-I could see BC pushing for a bye week on the 6th, between the UMass and USC games; that will be about the latest BC started at home in recent memory, but I think the alternative (adding Maine and then taking a bye week or a road trip south and not getting a bye until October) will be less favorable for the team and the administration
-When in Boston, BC/Clemson has often been around late October, except for 2012 when it was the last week of September. Since that weekend is booked, let's stick with that late October logic.
-BC/Florida State will again be early in the schedule (they won't be getting BC as their ACC final the week before Florida, trust me). BC won't want it right after USC, but it won't get much later than mid-October

8/30 - @UMass
9/6 - BYE
9/13 - USC
9/20 - ___
9/27 - Colorado State
10/4 - @Florida State
10/11 - ___
10/18 - ___
10/25 - Clemson
11/1 - ___
11/8 - ___
11/15 - Pittsburgh
11/22 - ___
11/28 or 11/29 - Syracuse 

Bigger Leaps
-BC and Maryland seem to have always lined up in November, but I don't know if that will happen with Louisville - travel really was probably a factor (putting closer, northern teams when travel was potentially rough). We also have a conundrum - BC needs a home ACC game in September, otherwise they don't have one until the end of October. Louisville is booked on the 20th, so let's flip the Bye
-Who's excited for a late season FCS game? That just be how it works out, like it did with New Mexico State this year (yeah, I know, NMSU is FBS, but you see my point). Let's try this all on for size:

8/30 - @UMass
9/6 - Louisville
9/13 - USC
9/20 BYE
9/27 - Colorado State
10/4 @Florida State
10/11 - @Wake
10/18 - BYE
10/25 Clemson
11/1 - @Virginia Tech
11/8 - Maine
11/15 Pittsburgh
11/22 - @NC State
11/28 or 11/29 Syracuse 

I'd like to remind you, this is almost completely conjecture. But a ton of fun. The worst part of this schedule has to be how it starts - after UMass, you have some pretty stiff competition. No matter the order, though, you look at that schedule as 6-6 with some of those road games. Bring on 2014.

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