It seems like only last week the city of Boston and
surrounding areas were digging out from 8’ plus of snow amongst a flurry of
never-ending blizzards. The calendar has flipped to August, which is a scary
thought saying where we were just six months ago. As summer sadly begins to
wind down, there are some silver linings and bright spots on the horizon. Fall
brings out beautiful foliage, comfortable outdoor weather, fresh apple cider,
and of course, the beginning of football season. Whether you are a fan of the
defending Super Bowl champs, or devoted alumni of one of the many local college
teams, there is a ton of upcoming action in the area. Here are some key dates
for the fall kickoff!
New England Patriots
photo via CBSSports.com
Fresh off of their 4th Super Bowl crown of this century, and a tad bit of controversy, the Patriots are looking to get back to their 7th title game of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. Many familiar faces are gone including Darrelle Revis and Vince Wilfork, but a promising young group should provide a spark. The Pats take on their AFC rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday September 10th on NBC’s opening night kickoff!
Boston College
Eagles
photo via Boston Herald
photo via Boston Herald
The Eagles look to continue to improve yet again under head coach Steve
Addazio. The Chestnut Hill boys are coming off back-to-back bowl game appearances
and are coming into this season ranked #56 in preseason rankings, not bad for a
team that was in the lower 100’s a couple years ago. Looking to catch some good
action this year at the heights? Florida State, Virginia Tech, and NC State
headline the Eagles’ home schedule this year.
UMass Minutemen
photo via MassLive.com
Since transitioning from FCS to FBS (Division I) it’s been a rough go of it for
the Minutemen. However, the future in Amherst is looking brighter. Last year,
UMass posted a 3-9 record which may not look like much, but it’s progress after
back-to-back 1-win seasons. On top of that, 4 of those defeats came within the
last few seconds. Quarterback Blake Frohnapfel finished in the top 5 in all of
college football last year in passing and looks to build on it yet again.
Don’t forget there are over 150 high schools in the Eastern Massachusetts area
that play under the lights each Friday night! You can also catch the action of
the many local Division II & III universities. Happy fall football lovers!