Boston College-Virginia Tech: A Statement Game for the Eagles

It's a good time to be a sports fan in New England—the Red Sox are in the World Series, the Patriots are 7-0, and the Celtics are the most hyped team in the NBA.

And now there's a new power to add to that list.

The Boston College Eagles are a stunning 7-0 and ranked No. 2—yes No. 2—in the BCS poll.

So-called college football experts disagree with this ranking because BC hasn't "beaten anyone."

Says who?

In Week One, the Eagles were slight underdogs against defending ACC champion Wake Forest—whom they beat by 10. After a rough start, the Demon Deacons have reeled off some nice wins and are in my top 25.

BC proceeded to steamroll ACC cellar-dweller NC State before overpowering inconsistent Georgia Tech—a team that has beaten Clemson and Miami.

Three weeks of pushovers followed—Army, UMass, and Bowling Green. Regardless of Notre Dame's record in Week Seven, the Fighting Irish came to play against BC—but the Eagles took their rivalry game.

Schedule strength aside, the Eagles have beaten everyone they were SUPPOSED to beat—unlike LSU and USC, who both lost games they were favored in.

Still, it's pretty apparent that the Eagles will have to take it to the Hokies in order to earn some respect.

Virginia Tech is clearly the Eagles' toughest test yet. A ball-hawking defense in particular could pose a problem.

I expect this to be a very low-scoring game—if Virginia Tech wants to come away with the win, that is.

Branden Ore hasn't really gotten on track this season, managing only 50 yards per game. Even if Virginia Tech can get an early lead, it will be hard to hang onto if Ore can't be a clock-killing runner.

Tyrod Taylor will have little success passing against a solid Eagles secondary led by DeJuan Tribble—who will be covering Josh Morgan, the Hokies' leading receiver.

When Matt Ryan and Boston College take the first snap on Thursday night, it will be their first against a truly dangerous defense in 2007. Virginia Tech is giving up a stingy 16 points per game.

Ryan is the reason BC will win on Thursday. He's completing 63 percent of his passes on the year, and is too smart to make mistakes.

I see Boston College spreading the Tech defense and dinking' and dunking' them downfield.

If this college football season stays true to form, Boston College will fall on Thursday. But if the Eagles have anything to do with it, they'll take care of business—and trek one step closer to the ACC title game.

And who knows—they could well see this same Hokie team again down the road.