Final Thoughts & Predictions - Boston College @ Wake Forest

On Saturday afternoon, the Boston College Eagles travel down to Winston-Salem to battle the #13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at 3:30pm on the ACC Network.

Boston College comes into the game sporting a 1-3 ACC record and 2-4 record overall. Most recently, they got blown out against #5 Clemson on their home turf before resting up last weekend with a bye week. It’s been a disappointing season for he Eagles and their aspirations for a bowl game are shrinking down to almost nothing.

Wake Forest, meanwhile, has been red-hot to start the year. They come into this game with a 5-1 record overall, their only loss being a 2OT thriller to #5 Clemson. Wake’s offense especially has carried over their momentum from last year and is borderline unstoppable right now. They’ve dropped 40+ points in 4 of 6 contests and haven’t scored less than 31 in any match-up all season. Wake QB Sam Hartman has clawed his way up to 4th in all-time passing yards in ACC history and could pass Philip Rivers to reach #1 by the end of the year if he really starts popping off. It’s more likely he’ll finish #2, past Kenny Pickett and Tajh Boyd.

What to Watch For

• Time of possession. Boston College’s defense is going to need some time to rest off the field if they want to have a shot at this game. BC needs to try to control the time of possession and keep their offense on the field for long stretches, or else the deadly Wake offense will start to tire the Eagles out.
• Can BC establish the run? We all know about Boston College’s offensive line struggles this season. They’ve started to improve bit-by-bit over the course of a few games, and this weak Wake defense is a good opportunity to prove they can take a bigger leap forward. Against Louisville they proved that they could get Jurkovec some more time to throw the ball, so now it’s time to prove they can create more space for their RBs.

Tailgate Treat of the Week

I don’t know about you, but I’m in full-on fall mode and can’t get enough apple cider, pumpkin donuts, and everything else that I love about this season. So today I’m recommending the Cider Head from Kettlehead Brewing. It’s a sour ale that hits you big-time with essential fall flavors: sour apple, pie crust, and cinnamon. It’s a beer that tastes the closest to a cider that I’ve ever had. I highly recommend it as you curl up on the couch and watch this late afternoon fall football game.

Prediction: Wake Forest 45 Boston College 28

Wake’s offense is just too much for BC to handle right now. The Eagles gave up 30+ to Louisville & Malik Cunningham, and I expect Wake to put up even more. Meanwhile, the BC offense will get a few less opportunities and won’t be able to put up as many points. It will be a respectable showing against a top-15 team at least, unlike their offensive disaster against Clemson two weeks ago.