Coach Frank Spaziani and Boston College will open the 2012 season with a conference game for the first time since 2007 when the Eagles hosted Wake Forest. That year, current Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan led Boston College to an 8-0 start. This year, the Eagles host Miami in the opener. Here are three positions to keep an eye on as the Eagles go through preseason camp:

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  1. Running back: This is the first preseason in a while that Boston College knows that it will not have Montel Harris as its featured running back. This year, the Eagles have three options at tailback. Junior Rolandan Finch ran for 706 yards in 2011 while junior Andre Williams had 517 rushing yards. Sophomore Tahj Kimble had 43 carries for 156 yards last year. The coaches like all three, but they will have to figure out how who is going to play what role.
  2. Cornerback: Currently, Al Louis-Jean and C.J. Jones are listed as co-starters at the field cornerback position. Louis-Jean is 6-2, 195 pounds and played in 10 games during his true freshman season last year. He had 15 tackles and one interception. Jones suffered a season-ending knee injury during the opening kickoff in the second game of the season in 2011 at Central Florida. Sophomore Manuel Asprilla is listed as the starter at the boundary corner position. He started the last four games of his true freshman year. After that, there isn’t much experience.
  3. Quarterback: This job is not up for grabs, but it is definitely a position to watch up in Chestnut Hill. Rettig has started 20 straight games, but he still faced questions at the ACC Kickoff about whether Rettig was his quarterback. Spaziani needs Chase Rettig to step up and deliver in his third year. It will be on new offensive coordinator Doug Martin to make sure Rettig is up to speed in his new scheme, and it will also be on Rettig to put in the work to master the new offense.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.