CFN Units Rankings | How Boston College Fared

Roderick Rollins and Co. received very high marks

College football news recently published their season preview and it in, rated position by team, 1-120, with 1 being the best in the country and 120 the worst. I took a look at how BC fared in each and have a few comments on the rankings.

Quarterbacks- 109
Really can't argue too much with this one. None of the quarterbacks on our current roster have yet to prove anything and early reports out of camp are that none of the quarterbacks have taken a firm stance on front runner for the starting job. Now this could mean that they are all playing so good the coaches can't decide on a started but let's not kid ourselves, this is the most inexperienced quarterbacking core we've had in recent memory.

Running Backs- 34
In my opinion, Harris and Haden have the potential to become a dynamic duo of backs. A duo that could easily put this ranking into the top 25. But I suppose as of the moment they are not yet proven enough to jump into the top 25, but as long as they stay healthy, they won't be on the outside looking in for very much longer.

Wide Receivers- 79
This is the first ranking I disagree with. I firmly believe that Rich Gunnell is a legitimate number 1 option, with exceptional hands and quickness. His supporting cast, which consists of Ifeanyi Momah, Justin Jarvis, Clarence Megwa, Colin Larmond Jr., and speedster Clyde Lee, aren't slouches either. Each one brings a unique skill set to the table which can make it difficult for opponents to prepare for this receiving core. The tight ends are also deep, and solid, with returning letter winners Jordan McMichael and Lars Anderson. I'd probably rank our WRs somewhere in the early 50s or late 40s.

Offensive Line- 7
BC always prides themselves on having an excellent offensive line, so why should this year be any different? This unit returns all the started with the exception of Cliff Ramsey from last year's solid squad. The underclassmen also provide for nice depth at this position.

Defensive Line- 41
This ranking seems about right. Even though BC loses All-American BJ Raji and All-ACC Ron Brace in the middle, they still will be very solid up front. Alex Albright returns from injury and will provide a great pass rush off of the edge (who recorded 8.5 sacks back in 2007). Damik Scafe is, by all reports, performing great in the middle, and won't duplicate Raji or Brace's 2008 performance, but he will do a fine job in making a name for himself in the ACC. BC is also loaded with young talent on the DL with such phenoms as Kaleb Ramsey, Dillon Quinn, and Max Holloway who are all loaded with potential.

Linebackers- 55
Losing Herzlich and McLaughlin off of this unit probably drops this ranking about 30-40 spots. However, this linebacking unit is not at a loss of talent. Underclassmen Nick Clancy, Luke Kuechly, and Alexander Disanzo have all impressed with the raw talent as well as their maturity. Will Thompson should also do an admirable job filling in for McLaughlin at MLB. The only knocks I have of this core is that they are inexperienced (although I don't think this will be that big a deal after the first couple games), they are a little on the small side, and they are also not very deep.

Defensive Backs- 5
This ranking was a shocker to me but also put a big smile on my face to know that we are getting some national recognition (and their analysis of our unit was pretty spot on). With that being said though, I do not think our DBs are top 5 in the nation. Top 25, definitely, probably even top 15, but not top 5. We do have depth here, but it is young, and relatively inexperienced depth. Also, our DBs aren't the fastest, and could possibly get burned on a few occasions in one-on-one coverage. However, I see a lot, a lot of positives in this secondary. Wes Davis is one of them because I think that he is vastly underrated to our defense, as our pass defense suffers greatly when he is out. He is smart, physical and makes good plays on the ball. Roderick Rollins, DeLeon Gause, and Donnie Fletcher are all very solid CBs and are not overly big or fast, but they certainly get the job done. I expect some pretty big things from this set of DBs this season.

Special Teams- 103
You really can't argue with this low ranking. Steve