BC - Syracuse: Guess The Attendance

Boston College faces Syracuse on Saturday at 12:30 PM at Alumni Stadium in what most Eagle fans and observers view as a must win game if BC is to stay in contention for a post season bowl game.  Now yes, BC could conceivably reach a bowl at 5-7 based on a paucity of eligible teams, but one could make the argument even if the Eagles can take out the 'Cuse, it will be difficult to find even those two other wins on the schedule.

All of which begs the question...how many will show up to see it?

We've chronicled the Eagle attendance woes over the past several seasons and although BC-Clemson two weeks ago will technically be labeled a sell out, the first non Notre Dame sell out since 2007, the way it got there was more reminiscent of Patriots-Giants 1990

From the New York Times article of December 31, 1990

There were unreal aspects to the game. To start with, the Patriots had not sold out Foxboro Stadium in two years. They had a sellout and a near-capacity crowd of 60,410 (there were 309 no-shows) this time because they sold so many seats to Giants fans who drove here from the metropolitan New York area.

BC-Clemson was pretty similar with the Eagles coming off (and in the middle of another) down season and the Tigers riding high and bringing anywhere between 6 and 10,000 fans with them to Chestnut Hill.

BC-Syracuse, despite the number of Boston area students who attend SU hasn't had the same type of appeal.  The game has been far more a referendum of the state of the programs rather than an interest in the game itself.  At this point, BC is struggling to stay afloat and Syracuse is more than struggling to reclaim the interest that the program held in Central New York in the Dick MacPherson and Paul Pasqualoni years.  Maybe the tide has turned a bit for the Orange coming off the win last week vs Virginia Tech, but is it enough to mobilize the troops to travel?

The last time Syracuse visited was the final game of the 2014 season the game drew 30,267 on a cold November day with the students home for Thanksgiving break.  This year the weather is expected be cool (upper 50s) with a chance of showers after a rainy day on Friday.

Even the threat of rain and the fact the game is on local TV won't help,  that's for sure.

So what say you?  Does BC-SU draw a decent crowd or do the Eagles go into battle with an underwhelming audience watching?