When you look at the entire history of Boston College football, being a member of a conference is still a relatively new phenomenon. The Eagles didn't join a league until 1991, and the Big East didn't start full league play for football until 1993. That's just 18 years of playing in a football conference for a program that has well over 100 years of history. A drop in the bucket of BC's football record books, really.
Still, BC's 0-2 start in the ACC is already one of the worst conference starts in program history. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be light at the end of the tunnel, with BC a significant underdog going into this weekend's game against No. 16/No. 17 Florida State.
Here's a look at the worst Eagles' starts in conference play:
| Year | Conference | Start | Game 3 | Final Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Big East | 0-2 | W, 37-13 vs. Rutgers | 5-7 (2-5 Big East) |
| 2000 | Big East | 0-2 | W, 20-13 vs. Syracuse | 7-5 (3-4 Big East) |
| 2002 | Big East | 0-2 | L, 19-16 OT at Pittsburgh | 9-4 (3-4 Big East) |
| 2010 | ACC | 0-2 | at Florida State | --- |
Only three times in the last 17 seasons have the Eagles started the season at 0-2 in the conference. In 2002, the Eagles actually started 0-4 in Big East play before ratting off three wins in their final three games of the season -- Syracuse, Temple and Rutgers -- to become bowl eligible.
Unlike past years in the Big East, where the Eagles could use a game against the Scarlet Knights, Orange or Owls to right the ship and stop a conference losing streak, BC won't be afforded a similar luxury this year. Florida State will prove to be a tough road game, followed by home games against Maryland and Clemson that appear to lean towards losses at this point.
Despite starting 0-2 in conference play, BC managed to make a bowl game in both 2000 and 2002. In 2000, BC used three non-conference wins over both service academies and a transitional I-A UConn team to get to the six-win mark. In 2002, despite losing their first four Big East games, the Eagles went 5-0 in non-conference play with wins over UConn, Stanford, Central Michigan, Navy and Notre Dame, and won their final three Big East games to get to eight regular season wins, and the Motor City Bowl.
This season, BC has to win four of its last seven games to get to .500 and become bowl eligible. In the ACC, and unlike their time in the Big East, there's now one less non-conference game to pad the win column and get the Eagles bowl-eligible.
Like 2002, Boston College might just find themselves going into November needing to win their final four games just to become bowl eligible, and extend their program best 11-game bowl appearance streak.
HT D1source for the idea.