In a moment of miscalculation, or perhaps blind-drunkenness, the administrators of this fine website gave me an opportunity to share my ten thoughts regarding ACC expansion on the front page. Before I do I would also like to apologize to BC’s new conference mates if I failed to capitalize the word "South" anywhere in this column, I know how sensitive you get about that.

10. Southern Cookin’

Southern fried chicken, genuine pulled pork Bar-B-Q, Cheerwine, pies constructed exclusively from Nilla Wafers, banana and meringue. The South provides a wonderful change of pace from cold-water seafood, Northern Italian fare and haute French cuisine so common to the urban dwellers of the Northeast. They do things their own way down South and the tailgating food ranks among the most appealing aspects of this entire move in my humble opinion.

9. The Travel Myth

Just because yours truly is a fan of the $21 round-trip Fung-Wah Express doesn’t mean that BC’s teams were heading to Chinatown en masse for a bus to their Big East game. Few of the Big East teams did not require air travel, beyond Providence and Connecticut. Miami, Pittsburgh, Morgantown, Blacksburg, South Bend and Philadelphia were not exactly “next door”. In addition, new destinations in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Louisville are as onerous from a travel perspective as a shuttle flight down the East Coast, not to mention the directional Florida schools that have been tossed around. Contrary to uninformed speculation, most non-revenue sports require few away league games in both the Big East and the ACC; such sports compete primarily against local teams (non-league) with a few league games and a league tournament or meet. More to the point, the Big East’s next Television package would likely have been so paltry that Gene DeFilippo may have been required to adopt a Mad Max persona, scouring the interstates of the Northeast as a bandit in search of petrol just to save enough money to get to Providence. It is also worth noting that BC does occasionally play a game or two at home, not that it should stop anyone from spewing raving inaccuracies.

8. I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty

With the exception of a few random numbskulls whom I presume to be overenthusiastic Civil War re-enactors, BC's new conference mates have been exceedingly supportive of BC’s inclusion and have gone out of their way to welcome BC fans to the conference. These feelings are genuine as far as I can tell and it sure feels good to be wanted. In addition, BC's visitors from Wake Forest were wonderful guests this year.

Contrast that to the threats of violence and incidents BC fans have experienced since returning to the Big East and it makes you think that “respected charter member” lip service was followed by simultaneous coughs from the remaining presidents that sounded a lot like “a**hole”. In addition, the inflammatory and unprofessional statements released by the remaining Big East member schools aimed at BC could reasonably be expected to incite further fan violence and abuse such as the behavior BC fans saw in Hartford, Connecticut during their recent game. The level of hatred and malice aimed toward BC, but not necessarily Virginia Tech or Miami, is perplexing and surprising and a clear message to Father Leahy and Gene DeFilippo that BC should expedite its move from the Big East before thrown bottles turns into something far more serious.

7. The Duke Dilemma

Is there anything worse than notre dame football fans? Well, no, but Duke basketball fans come awfully close. My whole life I have hated Duke University, despite the fact that I have very close relationships with a few of their faculty and administrators (from whom I’ve had to hide this dislike). Now I find myself in a quandary. In what alcoholics like to call a “moment of clarity” Nan Keohane broke rank from the Carolina Mafia to cast the deciding vote for BC. Whether it was Duke trying to be important or a frightening realization that next time it could be ECU, she did BC a solid. So I ask you, what do I do now? Must I stop wincing every time I see the Pointdexters in blue wigs at Cameron Indoor Stadium? Should BC donate land upon which the Duke cheerleaders can graze? I am stuck in a world where down is up, day is night and I think fondly of Duke...at least until Coach K calls another BC player an A-hole on national television (good looking out Kenbone!).

6. The Midnight Run Conspiracy

The raison d’etre for the move to the ACC was nothing more than BC’s desire to run away from UConn and their inevitable overtaking of BC. So says Rutgersinsider.com and therefore, you know it’s true. Could there be a more ridiculous assertion by the schools left behind in the ACC move? On the other hand, it does seem plausible that BC would run away from a respectable UConn team, straight into the arms of weaklings like Miami, FSU, Virginia Tech and a league that has 9 schools in addition to BC that are better than UConn or any remaining team in the Big East (and that means you Pitt). I have been impressed by the UConn football team, but is there any sound basis upon which to predict their Northeast dominance? No, basketball or soccer success does not equate to inevitable football dominance, ask Indiana and Duke about that. Tap your ruby red slippers together and wish real, real hard, and you still can’t form a logical argument other than it is what Big East fans ‘want’ to happen. UConn has made remarkable strides in a short period of time, surpassing Rutgers, Temple, and other D-1A bottom dwellers but reaching the status of an annual bowl team requires depth, sustained recruiting success and wins over teams much better than Lehigh or Indiana. Almost as funny are the fans predicting the University of Massachusetts’s eventual upgrade to D-1A football, and the day they surpass the Eagles. Don’t hold your breath.

5. The Nittanalogy

Another popular myth among the remnants of the Big East is that BC has forfeited its regional identity and its ability to recruit the Northeast forever. The easy analogy is to point to Penn State’s demise and blame it on their move to the Big 10. Ignoring for a minute that Penn State’s recruiting classes have been terrific over the past decade, these ministers of misinformation fail to point out that perhaps Joe Paterno is still playing the same game he played for the last 30 years and perhaps his tendencies and techniques have been mastered by opposing coaches by now. I could be wrong, Mike Fasano of Rutgersinsider.com disagrees and he’s the man who once predicted that Terry Shea’s ‘almost magical’ motivational skills would spell doom for BC in a recent tilt. I have a feeling BC’s recruiting work in New Jersey works out at least a hair better than Terry Shea’s ‘almost magical’ career at Rutgers, and comments from New Jersey’s top players in reaction to that move support me. In fact, as the only current Northeast team in a stable, viable BCS conference BC should have a leg-up on its competition.

A review of last year’s Insiders.com top 30 players from the state of New Jersey shows only 6 of those players elected to play for one of the remaining Big East teams, with 12 electing schools in the ACC, 5 to the Big 10, 2 to Conference USA, 2 to the SEC, 1 to the Big 12 and 2 uncommitted to Division 1-A schools. If you make the stretching assumption that that BC’s commitments would have selected leftover Big East schools had BC already left for the greener pastures of the ACC, 20 of the area’s 30 best players would have still chosen to depart the region to play college football with no promise of local games whatsoever. Furthermore, let’s not forget that BC will still play games at Alumni Stadium; I expect some mild hazing on entry to the conference but I doubt it will brazen enough as to require BC to play every conference game on the road.

4. Foxy Lady

Irish lackey and North Carolina State Chancellor Mary Anne Fox was the first to issue a press release welcoming BC to the ACC. I have a feeling the ACC presidents asked her to do so in order to patch up her recent attempt to Shanghai the Eagles at every turn, including a last minute change of heart in the summer of 2003 and a flurry of statements released during the 48 hours preceding the final vote causing heart palpitations among the Eagle faithful. I can’t, however, blame the Irish for using everything at their disposal, including Chancellor Fox’s position, to protect the Tranghese-inspired sweetheart deal they have with the Big East. In the words of the noted scholars Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith this is, after all, “business, never personal.” Despite the so-called "unanimous" vote, sources inside the ACC conference indicate that Chancellor Fox continued to oppose BC's inclusion until she was smacked upside her golden dome by the sound of inevitability. However, Chancellor Fox's personal feelings and mixed loyalties aside, North Carolina State University fans and alumni have been exceedingly welcoming of Boston College and for the record I'd like to let them know I am looking forward to my next trip to Raleigh (where BC blew their doors off in basketball on its last visit). No hard feelings Wolfpackers.

3. As I Walk Through the Shadow of the Valley of Death.

Is there anything New York City-based BC and Clemson fans and alumni are looking forward to more than the first BC-Clemson tilt? Well I can think of a few things, my next trip to Peter Luger’s, my next vacation in the Caribbean, perhaps my next trip to Flashdancers, but this ranks right up there. Ever since Mike Tranghese removed whatever fried food item was stuck in his pie-hole long enough to say nobody in New York City cares about BC-Clemson, I have been waiting on pins and needles to take in the history of Death Valley, the sea of orange, watch the traditions, tailgate, share some drinks and good food with new friends and settle down for some big-time college football.

2. The Economist

Citing travel costs and falling TV revenues, Big East fans deplore the move as a loss leader for BC’s athletic department. Hello, I’m increased revenue, nice to meet you. If the ACC financial package is depleted with the addition of BC, Miami and Virginia Tech, what exactly do these Einsteins think is going to happen to the revenue in a league that’s “flagship” football school loses to Toledo and a terrible notre dame team, and which has only 2 remaining schools with a winning record? The potential television packages in the Big East are downright frightening, especially with 16 teams in the fold and Mike Tranghese already tossing a few more names into the mix. Gene DeFilippo and Father Leahy have done nothing but increase BC’s coffers since arriving and there is no reason to expect that at the end of the day BC will not come out financially ahead in this deal.

1. Take It Easy, Mike Tranghese!

Michael Tranghese expressed his “surprise” at BC’s departure. Um, Mike, step back from the buffet table for a moment, turn on your computer or pick up any paper and you should have known for weeks that this was at worst, a possibility. You are a reactive leader and a failure as a football commissioner and your leadership chased three of the conference’s top programs right into the arms of a lucrative and successful conference. Since Dave Gavitt left the Big East, the Big East brand has not appreciated, no matter how much on-field success its teams had, no matter how well they fared on the court, the Big East was unable to parlay anything into better bowls, more NCAA bids, higher rankings or national respect. Meanwhile, Mike Tranghese appeared to the uninformed eye to be a bystander more interested in whining, complaining, and finger pointing or hitting the buffet line than taking proactive steps. A real leader tackles the seemingly impossible, Mike Tranghese threw up his hands faster than he grabs the last slice of pizza and gave up. Say what you want about Swofford and his Teflon coiffure, the man got results and was relentless in his pursuit of what he thought would improve the ACC. BC fans everywhere are thrilled for leadership from above while the remaining Big East football schools are stuck in Mike Tranghese’s kung-fu grip and basketball-first mentality.

EagleWolverine is a staff writer for EagleInsider.com. He can be reached at Eagle_Wolverine@yahoo.com.