Football season starts on Thursday, sort of.

Boston College will take part in the ACC Kickoff Week throughout the morning and afternoon on ACC Network on Thursday. Bill O’Brien, transfers Anthony Palano and Mason McKenzie along with veteran KP Price will make the media rounds talking about the upcoming season.

BC’s press conference is 1-1:30 on ACC Network. Coach O’Brien and/or players will be chatting on Sirus XM between 10:40 and 11 a.m. The local media has a Zoom scheduled (10 minutes each) with the guys at 11:20. There will also be on-set interveiws on ACC Network at either 1:45 or 2, subject to change based on the network of course.

BC is the first of many local D1 teams unofficially kicking off their seasons with Media Days over the next two weeks.

UMass is taking part in the MAC Kickoff Day next Wednesday, July 22 in Detroit. The exact times the Minutemen will be speaking aren’t clear yet, but the event runs from 9:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

UMass will be represented with a ton of local flavor. Along with second-year head coach Joe Harasymiak, Pop Watson III (Springfield) and Tyler Martin (Acton) will be there as well. Martin is looking to close out his Minuteman career on a positive note, while Watson transferred home from Virginia Tech and may already be the face of the program.

On Wednesday, the CAA announced its virtual Media Days would be next Wednesday and Thursday the 23rd.

The two-time defending Rhode Island Rams will be represented by head coach Jim Fleming, wide receiver Marquis Buchanan and defensive lineman – another well-known local guy – Case Mankins. They’ll be speaking at 11:15.

New UNH head coach Sean Goldrich, tight end Colby Ramshaw and safety Jackson Stone will speak at 10:30. They’ll follow Maine head coach Jordan Stevens along with offensive lineman Anthony Iliano and defensive back Brayden Isaiah, who start things off at 10:15.

Bryant head coach Chris Merritt, defensive back Olatunde Mkparu and offensive lineman Wyatt Whalen wrap up Day 1 at 11:30.

On Thursday, the newest member of the conference Sacred Heart will take part in its first CAA Media Day at 11:00 a.m. Head coach Mark Nofri, cornerback Kenny Selby and quarterback Jack “Poochie” Snyder will represent the Pioneers.

The Patriot League also announced its season preview show on ESPN+ for Wednesday, July 29. Holy Cross and other league member schools will find out the preseason poll and All-League team members during the event.