CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC?

Will the best team in the ACC please step up?

Florida State? Maryland? Georgia Tech?

What about a team nobody thought would be fighting for the conference title this year -- Boston College.

After losing quarterback Matt Ryan to the NFL, along with the departures of running back Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth, cornerback DeJuan Tribble, safety Jamie Silva and offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Eagles.

But the Eagles are sitting at 5-1, ranked No. 23 in this week's CBSSports.com 120, and now have their sights set on the ACC Championship.

"They believe now," said Boston College Jeff Jagodzinski after the victory over Virginia Tech. "They believe they can do it. As a team, we can -- if we play that way. It's going to take all 11 guys in the unit to do it. I'm real proud, very proud, of this football team. That was a big win for us and for our program."

Chris Crane has done a nice job stepping in for Ryan to guide the offense, but the real leaders are on defense.

The Eagles are ranked fourth in the nation, allowing only 251 yards per game. They are also ranked fifth against the pass and are giving up just 13 points per game.

Junior linebacker Mark Herzlich leads the team with 54 tackles, including two interceptions. Defensive tackle B.J. Raji leads with four sacks, while safety Paul Anderson has three interceptions. Brian Toal, who has been an important part of the defense with 42 tackles and two sacks, is now out for the season with a broken leg.

Toal's injury definitely will be hard to replace, but the Eagles will move forward.

"Just like when Alex Albright went down and we had to have Austin Giles go in, Tex (Francois) is going to have to go in and take Toal's spot," said Jagodzinski. "That's part of the game. It's unfortunate because he was playing really good football for us."

If it weren't for a breakdown in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech, the Eagles could be undefeated. Despite keeping the Yellow Jackets contained for most of the game, RB Jonathan Dwyer broke a 43-yard run in the fourth for a 19-16 victory.

"The problem with this team is, if you miss your assignment on one play, it could go to the house," Herzlich said. "That's what happened."

Boston College's quest for the ACC title won't be an easy one as the Eagles play at North Carolina this week, followed by road trips to Florida State and Wake Forest later in the year. And if they do make it that far, the Eagles might have to face Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech in the title game again.

The Eagles weren't the only ones to jump into the Top 25 of the CBSSports.com 120 poll this week as TCU flew all the way from No. 33 to No. 15 after beating BYU. Minnesota and Northwestern also made the poll, coming in at No. 24 and No. 25.

Notes

... Cincinnati, which sits at 5-1 and still is in prime position to win the Big East Conference, is just outside the Top 25 at No. 28.

... Maryland, the Jekyll and Hyde of college football, moved up from No. 46 to No. 30 after beating Wake Forest.

... Arizona had another impressive victory, beating California 42-27 to move up from No. 52 to No. 35.

... The highest-ranked team with a losing record is Wisconsin at 3-4. The Badgers fell to No. 54 after losing to Iowa.

As a Notre Dame fan, I watched the VT-BC game as BC is a future opponent. Anyone who watched realizes VT really won that game 30-14. Indeed, if you matched up the preseason writeups for VT and BC, that's about the result you'd expect.

So how did 30-14 VT turn into 28-23 BC? A few factors. One, BC had a punt return for a TD. Since that happened against Beamerball, by definition it was a fluke. Two, BC had a 48-yard completion on a broken play near the end of the half to set up a TD. That's a fluke; you can't expect Boston College to do something like that. Three, VT had a couple of drops. Complete one of those passes and VT gets a TD. Four, the officials forgot that VT is the perennial power and the #17 team in the country; they needed to take a lesson from their colleagues in Columbia, SC and make things right.

I feel terrible for Kirk and the other pundits who looked at this matchup and said, "What is BC doing on the field with VT After (Matt) Ryan?" Kirk and the others really were vindicated everywhere but the scoreboard. I fully expect ND to make it up to all of them in November, as it's a sacrilege to see this unheralded team, a team unranked in the preseason, holding hostage the #23 spot in the rankings.

briandtw Reputation: 4 Level: Amateur Since: Oct 20, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 3:08 pm Score: 42 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? Western Michigan had the most impressive 10-point loss in history apparently, moving up from 54 to 51 after losing to Central Michigan, which dropped from 56 to 62. I guess beating your biggest rival with a backup quarterback doesn't mean anything. I hope Central wins the rest of its games and drops into the 90s. [ Reply to Comment ]
J. Darin Darst Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 14, 2006	Posted on: October 20, 2008 3:15 pm Score: 93 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? Western Michigan had the most impressive 10-point loss in history apparently, moving up from 54 to 51 after losing to Central Michigan, which dropped from 56 to 62. I guess beating your biggest rival with a backup quarterback doesn't mean anything. I hope Central wins the rest of its games and drops into the 90s. That was a mistake and has now been fixed. Sorry for the confusion. [ Reply to Comment ]
REALREBS Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 21, 2007	Posted on: October 20, 2008 5:20 pm Score: 92 CBSSports.com 120 -? I was just curious how Tennessee would pass uo Ole Miss because they beat Mississippi State going from 65 to 55 with a 3 and 4 record? I am very biased but I think Ole MIss is the best 3 and 4 team in the country bar none! They have taken every game they lost to the wire and have been in every game! Now I am not saying I am proud of 3 and 4 by any means, but Tennessee should not garner any more respect because they beat a crappy team! Arkansas dropped 3 spots after losing to a subpar Kentucky team 21 to 20! Ole Miss drops 8 spots after losing to #2 Bama on the road 24 to 20. Where is the reasoning????? This probably sound ridiculous being that we are talking about teams in the 50's, but conference bragging comes into play! UTstinks! [ Reply to Comment ]
The RealFan22 Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: May 22, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 6:53 pm Score: 90 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? heres the problem you face a mad NC team that is smarting from a upset loss then travel to FSU who looks ok on offense but really good on D then a Wake Forrest team that is not too bad might want to hedge your bets on this one ACC is not in really great shape as a conference right now need some quailty wins outside conference to get the repsect back may have to do thst in the bowls this yr [ Reply to Comment ]
jeremoney Reputation: 82 Level: All-Star Since: Oct 30, 2006	Posted on: October 20, 2008 7:53 pm Score: 60 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? It's Jonathan Dwyer, not Walker. And Tech manhandled BC's interior defensive line. The only reason it was close was the 3 turnovers by Tech. Did you even watch the game? [ Reply to Comment ]
AguilaFan Reputation: 0 Level: Amateur Since: Oct 17, 2007	Posted on: October 20, 2008 8:39 pm Score: 30 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? jeremoney, I did and BC lost because of Crane not ready to face a good team like GT. BC had the game due to their Defense. [ Reply to Comment ]
ObserverCollege Reputation: 2 Level: Amateur Since: Oct 20, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 10:06 pm Score: 29 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? As a Notre Dame fan, I watched the VT-BC game as BC is a future opponent. Anyone who watched realizes VT really won that game 30-14. Indeed, if you matched up the preseason writeups for VT and BC, that's about the result you'd expect. So how did 30-14 VT turn into 28-23 BC? A few factors. One, BC had a punt return for a TD. Since that happened against Beamerball, by definition it was a fluke. Two, BC had a 48-yard completion on a broken play near the end of the half to set up a TD. That's a fluke; you can't expect Boston College to do something like that. Three, VT had a couple of drops. Complete one of those passes and VT gets a TD. Four, the officials forgot that VT is the perennial power and the #17 team in the country; they needed to take a lesson from their colleagues in Columbia, SC and make things right. I feel terrible for Kirk and the other pundits who looked at this matchup and said, "What is BC doing on the field with VT After (Matt) Ryan?" Kirk and the others really were vindicated everywhere but the scoreboard. I fully expect ND to make it up to all of them in November, as it's a sacrilege to see this unheralded team, a team unranked in the preseason, holding hostage the #23 spot in the rankings. [ Reply to Comment ]
bearcat383 Reputation: 96 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 20, 2006	Posted on: October 20, 2008 10:43 pm Score: 92 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? So how did 30-14 VT turn into 28-23 BC? A few factors. One, BC had a punt return for a TD. Since that happened against Beamerball, by definition it was a fluke. Two, BC had a 48-yard completion on a broken play near the end of the half to set up a TD. That's a fluke; you can't expect Boston College to do something like that. Three, VT had a couple of drops. Complete one of those passes and VT gets a TD. Four, the officials forgot that VT is the perennial power and the #17 team in the country; they needed to take a lesson from their colleagues in Columbia, SC and make things right. So you claim to be a Notre Dame fan, yet joined sportsline just to make this post? A punt return is not a fluke, it is part of the game of football, regardless of who it happens against. East Carolina beat VT by doing what VT is famous for, blocking a kick - is that a fluke too? How is a 48-yard completion a fluke just because it was a broken play? Did you not see the Manning-Tyree play in the Super Bowl? Offense in football is all about timing, but that doesn't make a broken play a fluke. VT had couple of drops? Yeah, that happens in almost every game. That isn't about BC getting lucky or anything, the VT guys just didn't make the play. If drops are flukes to you, I'd be willing to bet that you think when Notre Dame turns the ball over, it's their mistake, yet when they opponent turns it over, Notre Dame forced it. You're new to these boards, so I'll cut you a break. But in the future, leave your bias at the door and be objective. This game was about two teams that aren't great, but above-average, one of them lost, one of them won - and we probably won't hear much about either of them the rest of the season. [ Reply to Comment ]
gatordude_1 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 17, 2006	Posted on: October 20, 2008 11:02 pm Score: 90 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? You're new to these boards, so I'll cut you a break. But in the future, leave your bias at the door and be objective. You got my vote in the upcoming elections....... [ Reply to Comment ]
seanflyswatta Reputation: 0 Level: Amateur Since: Oct 20, 2008	Posted on: October 20, 2008 11:02 pm Score: 33 CBSSports.com 120 -- Best in ACC? This is a shameful post, but typical for a small number of thoughtless Notre Dame fans. It's embarrassing. Grow up, suppress your bias, and comport yourself with at least some level of class. There is a reason that a mostly great fan base like Notre Dame gets painted in a poor light, and it is largely due to crass, arrogant, blinders-on baffoons like yourself. BC has compiled a worthy record, and is properly located at the bottom of the top 25. Nobody is claiming this team should be ranked higher, and nobody compares it to Texas or other dominant teams. I predict a Boston College win in the Notre Dame game, although I have the sense to suggest it will be a close fight between two similarly skilled teams. [ Reply to Comment ]

J. Darin Darst

4th and long