Syracuse vs. Boston College: TNIAAM Predictions & Poll

It’s homecoming weekend as the 4-4 Syracuse Orange football team welcomes the 4-3 Boston College Eagles. The Orange are coming off a road win at Virginia Tech while the Eagles have dropped three straight. As a result DraftKings says... Syracuse is a 6.5-point favorite right now (odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details).

Before things kick off on Saturday at 330 p.m. ET from the Carrier Dome (or airing on your local RSN or streaming on WatchESPN), the TNIAAM staff weighs in with their own predictions. Will anyone choose to be a #disloyalidiot this week?

Kevin (7-1)

Syracuse 34, Boston College 30

It’s weird to see Syracuse favored in an ACC game but these two teams’ paths have diverged over the last month. Without Phil Jurkovec the Eagles haven’t been as explosive on offense as expected. I think Syracuse will bring a lot of pressure and hope to create havoc. As for the Orange offense you know it’s going to be run-heavy but as we’ve been saying all year, Syracuse needs to hit a couple of big passes to keep the BC defense honest. I think the Orange have the ability to get a huge win over their Northeast rivals.

John (7-1)

Syracuse 30, Boston College 20

Just like the Virginia Tech game, we’re facing a former Big East foe with a struggling quarterback and questionable abilities to stop the run. Now we just need to hope this result doesn’t come down to the last second like last week did. BC allows 4.4 yards per carry and Louisville shredded them for 331 yards on the ground last week. If the Orange even come close to that total, it’s tough to see how the struggling Eagles offense keeps up. SU makes some mistakes to keep things interesting, though.

Steve (6-2)

Syracuse 31, Boston College 24

I actually feel like I’m giving Boston College the benefit of the doubt by saying they score 24 points, by the way that their fans at BCI keep talking about them. That said, I think the offense keeps plugging at pace against an average at best rush defense, which had trouble with a mobile quarterback last week. If Dennis Grosel (or whoever plays quarterback, since Jeff Hafley is being cagey) can’t put together something in the air and Tony White can have his full blitz package at his disposal while packing the box, that’s a recipe for Chestnut Hill disaster.

Christian (5-3)

Syracuse 34, Boston College 24

The 24 points I’m giving BC is not an indication on whoever starts at quarterback - it’s due to the fact that Syracuse’s run defense is clearly tired and waning in effectiveness this late into the season without a bye. As such, Pat Garwo has an opportunity to shock the Carrier Dome crowd a bit. That being said, it’s hard to see Boston College’s defense putting up a fight against a Syracuse offense that has scored at least 30 points against every ACC defense not named Clemson. Maybe this game helps Garrett Shrader settle in more as a passer and gives him more confidence in that portion of the Syracuse offense that makes the Orange a more complete team later this season. But for right now, we should be pleased with Syracuse’s performance on Saturday.

Andy (5-3)

*Syracuse 31, Boston College 10

Against Power 5 competition, the Syracuse Orange defense under Tony White is allowing just 5.07 yards per play, a mark that is 13th best in the country. On the other side of the ball, BC’s offense is averaging just over 4.5 yards per play against ACC opposition, so you can see why I’m optimistic about the Syracuse defense holding down the fort. Additionally, BC can’t stop the run, allowing over 5.7 yards a carry in that same span. Give me the Orange, running away.

Now it’s your turn...