ESPN College Football

Why can Temple feel good about it chances this weekend? Who's better -- Rasheed Marshall or Donovan McNabb? What happened to BC?Our Big East notebook addresses those questions and more.

Boston College
Just when it looked like the Eagles were soaring to the conference title, along came a major blip on the radar. They stumbled against Pittsburgh for the third time in as many years and looked very average doing it. The 20-17 overtime loss at Heinz Field left one wondering if BC (4-2, 1-1) is as good as advertised. Against Pittsburgh, a team that's been harshly criticized for its soft line play, the Eagles were "manhandled," according to coach Tom O'Brien. Makes you wonder what will happen in South Bend on Saturday against a Notre Dame team (5-2) that is much stronger up front. The Eagles came into the Pittsburgh game allowing 84 rushing yards (8th in the nation) and running for 183.6. But the Panthers ran for 177 and held the Eagles to 56. "Our guys have to grow up and learn from this," said O'Brien, whose team was nailed for 12 penalties. Problem is, they don't have much time. And, Notre Dame is coming off a season-high 204-yard rushing effort in its 27-9 win over Navy.

The Eagles can take comfort in knowing that both of their losses were by three points (they fell to Wake Forest, 17-14, in Week 4) and both occurred on the road. Not bad, right? Depends on whom you're asking. O'Brien, for one, has no time for the close-but-no-cigar scenarios. "If you're an inch away you might as well be a mile away," he said. "We have to find that inch."

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