SPAZ WATCH: OPEN THREAD

Sometime in the next day or two, we'll likely learn the fate of Spaz. If he isn't fired, I may have to join the priesthood, depending on how much you feel like holding me to tweeted threats. Discussion here as you need for celebration and or taking of vows.

Update: Consummatum est, around 5:30 p.m. Presser tonight, we move on starting now.

FOOTBALL: THE HEIGHTS PREVIEW

This is what we get up for - game week. For us, we're going to pitch in a few quick season previews in the style of H&L. Today's is the "HEIGHTS" preview - our overly optimistic predictions. What will follow will be the LOWS and a few other things we used to do last year (Three Games to Watch will be returning on Thursdays). Let's make this quick and get to doing what we do best.

What's the high water mark for the 2012 squad has to fall into two separate questions, based on what you want the most in this world. Do you want the most success? Or do you want just enough success that will ensure Frank Spaziani will hang up the visor at year's end?

Like last year's opener, we start  with a headscratcher: what identity does Miami have and how will they roll in Alumni Stadium? A win by the Eagles would be a great way to get the boulder rolling down the hill - especially with the FCS Maine Black Bears in Chestnut Hill the following week. Two comfortable wins would likely give the offense confidence, and Chase Rettig could roll into Chicago feeling good for Northwestern.

The bye week comes early this year, but after an away game and before Clemson isn't a bad place to have it. Clemson is a lean loss, toss-up game - but since it's Clemson and they have their own verb about this kind of stuff, an Eagles team that's clicking could sneak an upset. Go to Army the week after and ring up the Black Knights and you aren't crazy to look up and see BC at 4-1 or, somehow, 5-0. 

That's when things get tough. Road trip to "It's August, They're Top Ten" Florida State, where even though BC has played well since joining the ACC, a tough test will wait. Georgia Tech in Atlanta, coming off a bye week of their own, also pose a formidable task for a BC team coming off a third straight away game. Luckily, BC returns home to face the Maryland team that was one of the four wins the 2011 team had up.

November is weird for the team - travel to Wake, a late out of conference game with Notre Dame, hosting Virginia Tech late in the season (when you know they'll be clicking) and finally Thanksgiving weekend in Raleigh. But if you look back and see that September starts hot and there is potentially a win or two in October available, November is the difference between 6-6 expectations and a surprising 7-5 or even, gulp, 8-4 depending on what Irish team shows up in Chestnut Hill.

The defense gets time to settle in, but the fact of the matter is that these heights are likely only reachable if the offense wins a few games. There is no freak of nature to get in Miami QB heads in the linebacking corps anymore. Chase, whoever is playing RB and what's left of the receivers and tight ends must find a way to click and score. 

Is 8-4 really as good as it can get? Even in optimism we're getting dull. Maybe that's the record that fits in the category of success that won't be enough for Spaz and we're really preventing ourselves from letting the rainbows shine through because we want to look to the future.

ONLY DISTANCE CAN SAVE SPAZ

It's been tossed around a bit in the boards, the Twitter and the BC blogosphere, but it is still a valid question. While we all assume that Spaz is almost definitely in his last season as BC's head coach, there has to be at least a few random scenarios out there in which he can be saved.

No matter what it comes down to, though, it will involve distance.

...distancing himself from GDF's departure and the last few year's of Coach Flip's tenure, doing what he can to make it look like he isn't on a leash held by Gene.

...having key players, like Rettig, the receiving corps and the defensive line, stay healthy and making it the distance of the entire season. Don't forget, Spaz has played the injury excuse card a lot in the last years - if he actually has a healthy team, could he do what he claims?

...putting up some offensive yards that actually look like a legitimate amount of ground has been covered. If last year's pitiful numbers are not far off in the distance, things will not be looking good.

...going the distance and finishing out the season in a positive way - which he is oddly setup for. Don't forget, the schedule is backloaded this year, with 4 of the first 6 games as very winnable and a likely opposite ratio in the second half. If he can pick up one win in November (with rival games with ND and VT at home and a trip to TOBy at NC State), we're looking at a bowl. Seriously.

SPAZ COMMENTS ON PENN STATE TIES: VICTIMS ARE THE STORY

We've been really critical of Spaz for this season and before. We shelve every ounce of that dissatisfaction right now: Frank Spaziani did well on himself, his priorities and BC when asked about Penn State, where he played under a young Joe Paterno in the 60s. His comments, as recorded by the Herald:

“It is a very shocking development, this whole story...His retiring is obviously part of the story, but it is not the story. It is the victims and the families that are the story. I know my relationship with him and I know how I interacted with him and this obviously is something I have no knowledge over. But this is a terrible cloud lingering over whatever is going to happen. It hurts their reputation and position. There are residual effects. It is such a shocking development and how can anybody put anything into words. There is a lot there and certainly with football and reputations but forget that. That is inconsequential to me. It is about what happened and there is an awareness that comes to light with this hideous behavior.

“I have a different perspective of it obviously, but once again it about the families and the victims. My having gone to Penn State and it happened at Penn State, but I’m a human being first and foremost. "

(via ATL)

FIRESPAZ.ORG: THE PHILANTHROPIC APPROACH

For the last few years, the big thing has been the "Fire[Coach].com" website. It's an interesting idea, but I'd have no idea what to do with one. What do you do? Post videos of running to the left hash mark on third down along with the words, FIRE [COACH]. That's old, it's played out...and it doesn't really demonstrate the support.

That being said, we here at H&L are like the legions of BC fans across the country who can't stomach watching our football team right now. For the last decade, BC football has brought people together - whether as students in the end zone corner, alums around the country gathering for game watches or even tailgates that bring older alumni together again in Chestnut Hill. We get to talk about more than the product on the field, we get excited about being together, we get excited about the positive recognition for our school.

That's all gone right now with the painful losses of this season, and a single "NO" of IsSpazStillCoaching.com isn't going to bring that back right now. So, instead of continuing to piss vinegar, instead of griping and whining about the need for change, I want to take a different approach.

I think it's time to do something positive about it, which is what brings us to FireSpaz.org.

BC isn't known for its football boosters, but I promise they exist. The faithful talk with their wallets and their support, just like any school - you just don't hear about it because it doesn't involve massive gifts or briefcases of cash handed to the fathers of quarterback recruits. There are those who travel, who give to the program for a tailgate spot, who buy out gear in the bookstore. Add up the tickets, the travel, the tailgate spreads, the donations - you quickly can run a pretty severe bill for supporting this team.

While I can't get a refund on my season tickets or booked plane tickets, I do have a lot fewer expenses for the remainder of the season since I've cancelled road trip plans or am planning for a smaller crowd at tailgates. It's a sad reality, but it's the truth. Still, I've planned those budget lines, and now I want to put my money where my mouth is and use that money to continue support BC...just in a very different way.

To show what happens for programs that make us proud as BC supporters, let's take that money we would spend on BC football and give it to one of the other student groups on campus that involves so many people, inspires long-term connections and gives us reasons to brag about our school. Let's put the power of the pocketbook behind our disastisfaction with what happened in Alumni Stadium - but do it in a way to further the efforts of other students.

My proposal: let's come together to support one of the biggest philanthropic groups on campus: the Appalachia Volunteers.

The alternative spring break program involves more than 600 students each spring, and through roommates, classmates and other connections, touches nearly every corner of campus. It costs about $300,000 each year for groups of these students to travel to more than 30 different sites across the Appalachian region, where they give back in the form of helping those communities with building, manual labor or chipping in one way or another for these really small towns. That money comes from whatever small money and friendly donations these students can gather up, along with their own personal investments of what they would spend on a spring break in Cancun or San Juan.

Let's help them, and I'll start.

For this weekend's game, we're not even going to bother planning a massive-style tailgate in advance of the UMass game. So few of my out-of-area friends are making the trip, and even local friends are only going to show up for a little. I stand to save about $50 on foodstuffs, beer, supplies and the whatnot with the lowkey tailgate - so I sent that money through the BC Fund to be earmarked for Appalachia. The confirmation is right here:

Are you in? Is there a tank of gas you're saving by not driving to a game? Skipping out on getting an extra ticket for a friend for Wake Forest or NC State? Saving the money from a bus ticket up from New York City? Are you eating lunch at home instead of chowing down and drinking a cash bar at your city's game watch? Take that cash, send it in, mark it for Appalachia. Let's help those kids out - all while demonstrating what we commit every year to our football team at the same time.

If you wouldn't mind - leave a comment so I can track it, and I'll start building a telethon scoreboard. I know a lot of people would rather make donations anonymous (if I wasn't writing this post, probably how I'd be, too), so feel free to comment anonymously if you'd like.

Not sure how the response will be initially, so here's the early benchmark. If we raise $5,000 by the Maryland game, which is right before Halloween, I'll spend the day in College Park with a mustache, dressed as Spaz - but in Jorts. That's the same amount of money that would have been spent on a Mod Lot pass. If we pass that mark, I'm more than open to discussing new incentives.

Let's take this negative energy and give it back to the other students of whom we know we can be proud. You know what, worst case scenario is that things don't change, and we have a bigger amount of income to decide what to do with in the offseason. Best case scenario is that we're heard, that people recognize that we want to support our students - and then next spring, we'll want to support both student organizations and the athletic programs.

STATE OF BC IN ONE PICTURE

If you're gonna troll, troll hard.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

DL has been taking the brunt of the posting workload lately, given that I am across the country in San Diego (it means Whale's Vagina), but I wanted to chime in about the tumult that is our program at the moment.

The firing leave of absence of Kevin Rogers gives pause to all of BC fandom given that he was brought in to replace Rip van Tranquil who's offense was about as exciting as watching grass grow.  Most analysts (including Kirk Herbstreit) felt that his hiring would be the change that BC needed to get back in the game, that he would bring an exciting style of offense that could upgrade our flaccid scoring from 2010.  (I want to note that I did not see it so favorably).

Now with his offense doing absolutely nothing for two weeks (even though Tranquil was given 2 years of failures before "retiring") he is gone. So we bring in Brock to head up the offense and move a grad assistant up to TE coach. Why not move up Ryan Day ("The next great BC coach?") and give him a chance to make a difference? IMHO, its because he is the biggest threat to GeneD's best buddy, Coach Spaz. The #FireSpaz bandwagon is rolling on, and getting quite heavy, and if the ruse around Kevin Rogers is true, #FireGeneD might be next.

So where do we go from here? In my (albeit pessimistic) opinion, we will likely have to scrap this season anyways, so why not get rid of Spaz now, and start a coaching search. Who will be available at the end of the year? No one is sure, but I could easily see some decent names on the market such as Mark Richt (not that he would be interested, but he might need a job!). Why not get ahead of the game and make it clear we are looking and start talking to hot seat coaches and scoop up the best one available at the end of the season.

Who would be your ideal coaching hire (realistically)?

BC Football and Pessimism: Has it Been a Good Run or is There Something Left?

It's been, what, five days since BC lost a game by going against everything in the past few years that's kept the football team competitive...and there is definitely a tremor in the force among BC faithful by way of it. Stay away from the message boards unless you want to see pessimism at its finest - believe me, even pre-season the term "Henningesque" was being thrown around (never a good thing). Stay away from Twitter unless you are looking for others with whom to discuss Firing Spaz. While this is the vocal set, it does begin to feel that the question of doom is floating over the program, "Is this the year where BC's decade of football relevance ends?"

I bring this up now because September is the bright spot on the Eagles' tough ACC slate this year - and a loss in Orlando this Saturday means that the Eagles are at best looking at 3-2 heading into three straight away games in Clemson, Blacksburg and College Park. The bowl streak is important to the diehards, and losing that this year would certainly hurt, especially because it will take an act of God to get GDF to swallow his pride and part ways with Spaz over performance.

Not everyone is driving the car off the cliff. ATL Eagle positively discussed how BC has a relative track record bouncing back from opening season losses (most recently, coming off a similarly poorly-managed and uncharacteristic home opener against Wake Forest in 2003). Going into Happy Valley - and this is not meant as a slight to UCF fans - is a slightly more daunting task than Orlando at night in September. A win Saturday may not be enough for everyone, but at least the good vibes could get turn again to get to 4-1 going down to visit the Tigers in October. 

So what say you - has the train already left the station or is there something left in the BC football program?