Final Thoughts & Predictions - Boston College vs Duke

On Friday night, the Boston College Eagles will host the Duke Blue Devils for an ACC cross-divisional match-up on ESPN2.

Boston College comes into the game fresh off of a loss to UConn in East Hartford. The loss to the Huskies hits especially hard as it was one of the worst losses in the program’s recent history and encapsulates everything that has gone wrong for BC football in 2022. The Eagles now stand at 2-6 and are staring down a potential 2-10 season unless something dramatically shifts.

Duke, on the other hand, is off to a surprisingly successful year with new head coach Mike Elko. The Blue Devils are 5-3 overall and 2nd in the ACC Coastal, already matching their highest win total since 2019.

What to Watch For

• Has Boston College given up? The loss to UConn was a backbreaker. It could become very easy for the team to become unmotivated to compete for the rest of their season, something we’ve already seen in flashes when they go down in games early. The opening half should tell us a lot about the coaching staff’s ability to work through adversity and motivate their players in the face of becoming BC’s first bowl-ineligible team since 2015.
• BC’s quarterback situation. Starting Eagles QB Phil Jurkovec went down in the 3rd quarter against UConn last week and his status is still up in the air for Friday against Duke. His performance this season has been lackluster to say the least, but back-up QB Emmett Morehead didn’t look better in the playing time he had on Saturday. Jeff Hafley made a comment earlier this week that he won’t be “pulling seniors that deserve to play,” so you should expect Jurk to start the game if he’s healthy.
• Duke’s new defensive identity has worked for them since new head coach Mike Elko arrived from his previous stint as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator. They’ve only given up 30+ points twice this season in 8 games, and just once in 4 ACC match-ups. It won’t be easy for BC’s struggling offense to find its footing.

Tailgate Treat of the Week

Everclear. Watching Boston College football right now isn’t something you’ll want to remember.

Prediction: Duke 31 Boston College 9

The Vegas spread opened at BC +10, and I have to tell you that it’s probably free money to bet on Duke. The Eagles offense is a shell of its former self and couldn’t muster even a touchdown against a UConn team that gave up 59 to Michigan, 48 to Syracuse, 41 to NC State, and even 25 to Ball State.

BC’s defense has been playing alright considering the circumstances, but even they are still a struggling unit. The home team may hang around in this one for a bit, but I expect Duke to bring in a solid win by the end.