Preview & Prediction: Boston College Football vs #3 Florida State

On Saturday afternoon, the Boston College Eagles will host the Florida State Seminoles at Alumni Stadium for the annual Red Bandana game at 12pm. BC is 1-1 on the season so far, losing closely to Northern Illinois in OT in week 1 followed by a close win over Holy Cross in week 2. FSU, meanwhile, has been dominant. They are 2-0 on the season with two blowouts over #5 LSU and Southern Miss.

As the Red Bandana game, this is obviously an important game for Boston College. The tradition has a history of upsets (like in 2014 over #9 USC) and of wins over FSU (like the 2017 blowout, 35-3). But the odds for a win do seem like the lowest they’ve been in years or maybe even ever. The Eagles are really struggling to start on a new foot after going 3-9 last year, while the Seminoles could be having their best season in years. BC will need a perfect combination of factors if they want to pull out the miraculous win.

What to Watch For

• The weather for this game is something serious to watch. Hurricane Lee has been working its way up the east coast and is expected to be near Boston sometime on Saturday. You can read the latest update as of Thursday evening here. Although the area is expected to miss the worst parts of the storm, there could still be scattered rain and some speedy winds up to 30 miles per hour, which would certainly have an impact on the game. It could actually be beneficial to BC if the weather keeps the offenses grounded and the scoring low! I don’t think the weather will result in a cancellation or postponement, though, especially with a national broadcast spot on ABC on the line.
• The BC defensive line needs to force some chaos. The way to win an upset like this is by forcing turnovers and big plays. While the FSU OL is much improved when compared to years’ past, they are not an elite unit and could be susceptible to pressure from the Eagles. Donovan Ezeiruaku especially needs to step up and show why he’s the star of this defense.
• The BC offensive line needs to hold strong. Even though the BC OL has been pretty solid to start the year, the Florida State DL is one of the most formidable units in the ACC. If Castellanos and the Eagles offense is going to find any success, they will need the push in the trenches. Especially in a bad weather game in which the passing game may be limited, Castellanos’s rushing ability alongside the running backs is going to be very important.

Tailgate Treat of the Week

There are going to be a bunch of Floridians in a football stadium while a hurricane is going on. But we’re in Massachusetts. None of this is going to make sense, and the tailgate could be pretty dead if the weather sucks. For a cold and windy day, I’m going to go with the Framinghammer from Jack’s Abby. It’s a heavier beer with a smooth feel and a rich taste, a perfect porter for either braving the elements or for a day inside hiding from the nasty weather.

Prediction: Florida State 31 Boston College 7

I’ll hedge my bet for the weather and predict a lower-scoring affair. But if this was a sunny day, I would likely take FSU by a margin of 30+. This BC team is simply just not ready to compete at the level of a top-5 team. I do believe they’ll get better as the year goes on and they’ll clean up some of their mistakes, but expectations are still low for me in week 3.