BOSTON COLLEGE ENDS 23 YEAR DROUGHT AGAINST MIAMI

On November 23, 1984, two very special things happened: I was born, and Doug Flutie led the BC Eagles to a 47-45 win over the Miami Hurricanes.

Yesterday's 28-14 victory was nowhere near as exciting, nor nearly as well played. I doubt that in 23 years, some blogger will be boasting about being born on November 24, 2007: The day BC won a sloppy game against a dreadful Miami team. But a win is a win. And a win against Miami is a satisfying win, no matter how bad the 'Canes are.

The Eagles turned the ball over 4 times, were below average on 3rd down conversions, lost the time of possession battle, and allowed nearly 300 yards of offense. To be fair, this was an early game coming off an emotional victory in Clemson, SC. This game didn't mean too much, especially compared to last week's "Win or Die" game.

At the same time that BC beat Miami, Virginia Tech defeated Virginia 33-21, winning the Coastal Division. BC will play Virginia Tech in Jacksonville next Saturday to determine the ACC Champion.

Here's what the win against Miami does mean:

Boston College will probably be ranked 12th tomorrow, behind Missouri, West Virginia, Ohio State, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Florida, Oklahoma, USC, LSU, Hawaii, and Kansas.

Even if BC loses to Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, BC will most likely earn a berth to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Although not a BCS Bowl, the Gator Bowl is one of the major bowl games. It's played on New Year's Day. The last time BC played a major bowl game was the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1985. BC would probably play a team from the Big XII in the Gator Bowl, but a Big East opponent is also a possibility.

No matter what, BC will finish the season with at least 10 wins. Considering the fact that the Eagles started the season unranked, this is a major accomplishment.

Elsewhere in college football, UMass beat Fordham 49-35 in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs. New Hampshire nearly beat top seeded and undefeated Northern Iowa. The UNH Wildcats went ahead 35-31 with 1:16 left in the game, but the UNI Panthers scored a touchdown with 0:07 on the clock to win 38-35.