JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – With just 12 starters returning, and with a much younger roster, Boston College coach Tom O’Brien wasn’t surprised Monday when the Eagles were picked to finish third in their division behind Florida State and Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason media poll.

“I think it’s probably fair,” O’Brien said at the annual ACC football media kickoff. “The only thing, looking at it, the funniest thing is Wake Forest has got 19 starters back and they’re ranked last, and Florida State has 10 starters (back) and we have 12 – I think we’re the least two of anybody in our division in starters returning.

“In my opinion, the more experienced team is better coming back. That’s what we aren’t this year.”

The Eagles lost second-team All-American Mathias Kiwanuka and linebackers Ray Henderson and Ricky Brown on defense, as well as a number of veteran offensive linemen and wide receivers Will Blackmon and Larry Lester from last year’s team that went 9-3, including a 27-21 win over Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl.

BC, seeking its eighth straight bowl trip, also faces a schedule this season that includes games at Florida State and Miami and home games against Virginia Tech and Clemson.

“We are not (as) experienced – we pretty much had the same ball club the last two years,” O’Brien said.

The Eagles entered the ACC last year and made an immediate impact, tying Florida State for the Atlantic Division title, but failing to get a berth in the first ACC championship game because they had lost to the Seminoles during the season.

“We did a nice job in our first year in the league,” O’Brien said. “We acquitted ourselves well. I think we proved that we belong in this conference and it’s been a great boost for our school.

“We were from a Northeastern school in a Northeastern league to a national school in a national league – and just the exposure and everything we’ve gotten for the last year have been tremendous. It helps us a lot.”

The Eagles played in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho, last year, while teams with lesser records went to more prestigious bowls. The ACC will unveil a new bowl selection system Tuesday that it hopes will prevent that happening in the future.

“It’s going to be settled on the field – I hope,” O’Brien said.

AP-ES-07-24-06 2052EDT