Final Thoughts & Predictions - Boston College @ Florida State

Sep 23, 2022 - 1:28 PM

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Tomorrow night, the Boston College Eagles visit the Florida State Seminoles at 8pm ET.

The Eagles are still searching for their first FBS win of the 2022 season after dropping early games against Rutgers and Virginia Tech, followed up last week by their win against FCS squad Maine.

FSU is off to a hot 3-0 start, taking down LSU and Louisville in close games the past 2 weeks. Seminole QB Jordan Travis was hurt towards the end of last week’s contest and his status for Saturday is still unknown, which could play a big factor in how close BC can come to a win tomorrow night.

What to Watch For

• As always, the offensive line. I could copy-paste some of my articles week-to-week at this point and I’m not sure anyone would notice. The offensive line has been and will continue to be Boston College’s biggest problem this season. The inability of the Eagles’ OL to block well enough to create even a semblance of a running game has led to disaster for the entire offense. They have no way to utilize the ground game in any form and as a result the passing game has suffered, too. None of the offense can succeed until the OL and running game starts to improve.
• BC’s pass rush. Last season, Jordan Travis of FSU torched BC for 251 yards passing and 3 TDs while only taking 3 sacks on the day and generally not facing pressure, which allowed the Seminoles’ QB to have a great day on offense. While Travis’s status is up in the air for this weekend’s game, the fundamentals remain the same for Boston College: get to the QB early and often. One of FSU’s weakest groups is OL, so success here could turn the tide for Boston College.
• Big plays. Boston College is a 17.5-point underdog at the time of this writing. They will need some explosive plays from their offense and some big turnovers from their defense to have a chance at pulling out a win in Tallahassee. This means you should be watching for Zay Flowers and Jaden Williams streaking deep downfield and for George Takacs to get open in the middle of the field. If those guys can’t get set-up for big gains, then I doubt the Eagles’ offense will be able to sustain enough long drives to win the game. The roster and coaching just isn’t at that level right now.

Tailgate Treat of the Week

I don’t know about you, but I’m a summer person. The long days at the beach, the walks by the Charles, the vacations with friends and family, shorts & t-shirts every day, I can’t get enough. So now that the weather has started to cool down a bit this week and we can see fall and October on the horizon, I’m clinging on to the last remnants of summer while I can. So my recommendation to you is a Beach Blonde Ale from Cape Cod Beer. Enjoy the last few days of 70 degree weather while you can and maybe take a trip to the beach with some of these in your cooler, there’s no better feeling. I’m a sucker for pumpkin patches and fall foliage too, don’t get me wrong, but they’ll have their moments in October and November.

Prediction: Florida State 34 Boston College 14

BC has a shot at covering on Saturday night, but I don’t see it in them to pull out a win. The offensive line, missing key players like Ozzy Trapilo and Kevin Cline, now has to start former walk-ons instead. The roster is just not capable and the OL coaching hasn’t been good either. BC’s defense should have a respectable game, which is why a cover is in play, but the offense will set them up with a short field way too many times and they won’t be able to hold the Seminoles every time. It’s going to be a long night for Eagles fans.