The Most Unimportant Team in College Football: The Boston College Eagles

Here we are again on the brink of Bowl Season and where did Boston College end up?...In the thrilling Champs Sports Bowl versus 7-5 Michigan State.

First of all, when did the Champs Sports Bowl even start being a bowl?

Oh, my bad, I looked it up and it used to be the Tangerine Bowl. Oh and it looks like all the powerhouses usually play in this game: Purdue, Clemson, Maryland, Colorado, Syracuse—you know, all the “important” teams.

Ever since the Flutie to Phelan miracle against Miami, Boston College has been about as important as Michael Dukakis.

Who?...Exactly.

Obviously I need to define the word “important” when it comes to college football programs. Here is my criteria:

1. Top 10 finishes

2. Conference championships

3. Sending a decent amount of successful players to the NFL

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Well we already know the Eagles haven’t sniffed the Top 10 since ranking fifth in 1984. The closest they’ve been since? Thirteenth in 1993 and Eighteenth in 2005. Those are actual stats, a.k.a. proof.

The Eagles actually did share one Big East championship with Pitt, West Virginia, and Syracuse in 2004-05. That’s one in the past 20+ years though. But they shared that one, so zero outright conference titles for BC.

Now let’s take a look at who Boston College has sent to the NFL in the post-Flutie era.

The best of the bunch is probably Matt Hasselbeck. He’s had a solid career—been to Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl—so the Eagles get one “important point” for him. You could also make a good case for Bill Romanowski. That’s two points.

Other than that, the best BC has to offer is WR Kelvin Martin, TE Pete Mitchell, C Tom Nalen, and overhyped RB William Green. Even if I push aside the fact that these four guys are absolute Yawn City, that’s only six players in about 25 years. Not exactly churnin’ out the stars are they?

So there you have it. In the overall scheme of things in college football, Boston College doesn’t really matter. They don’t have a big rivalry game, they haven’t finished anywhere near the same universe as the Top 10 in 23 years, and they rarely send anyone good to the pros.

I think that should be enough proof.