Jeff Hafley committed to BC, prepping for a bowl game

The proliferation of bowl games provides December football appetizers to the FBS playoffs in January.

But the real reason teams make bowl eligibility a priority are the institutional benefits that come with playing a 13th game.

A bowl game gives seniors and graduate students with no chance of playing in the NFL or the CFL an opportunity to put on a uniform one last time.

The revenue generated from a bowl appearance is popular with athletic directors and it enhances the school’s brand through national TV exposure.

Coaches put a premium on bowl eligibility because it comes with 15 practice sessions in December that can be used for team-building and as a precursor to spring ball. A bowl appearance also helps with recruiting, which is primarily undertaken in December.

“Once we find out who we are playing, when we are playing and where we are playing, we will do some developmental practices to get some of the young guys some more reps,” said coach Jeff Hafley. “We will almost treat it like an early spring football for them.

“Then as we get closer to the game, I would like to game plan and get the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday practices in and done before we head out to the bowl site because I know that can be distracting.”

The other common distraction for young coaches who have enjoyed a measure of success are the end of year speculations about what candidates are available for job openings at big-time programs. Hafley’s name has surfaced as a possible candidate at several stops, most prominently for the opening at Washington.

“I didn’t come here to be here for a short period of time and leave,” said Hafley. “I believe in Boston College and if we build it the right way, I think we can win here consistently.

“I do not plan on leaving. I plan to be here a long time. I plan on building it the right way with great people and develop players and I plan on winning here.”

Boston College finished the season 6-6 overall and 2-6 in the ACC with both wins coming in crossover matches against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.

BC will likely accept a bid to compete in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park on Dec. 29 against an opponent from the AAC like East Carolina or Tulsa. BC would save a lot on travel expenses and logistics playing a bowl game at the other end of Commonwealth Ave.

“We wouldn’t have to travel very far and we could probably get a lot of fans there,” said Hafley. “I haven’t really looked and I don’t really care where we play, I’m just excited to go as a team.

“If that means going to Fenway and spending the week in Boston or going somewhere else, I’m good with wherever we play.

“I’m just excited to get back to work and playing in another game. It would give me some time to explore Boston if we did that. There definitely would be pluses.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3lgbFva