College Football Predictions – Boston College Eagles 2020 College Football Preview
August 15, 2020
2019 Recap
Record – 6-7
ATS – 7-6
“Here we go again. Again.” <Tugg Speedman> <Tropic Thunder>
Heading into last season the Eagles had tallied exactly seven wins in five of six campaigns under the guidance of Steve Addazio. Last year they were 6-6 heading into the Birmingham Bowl but were dismantled by the JUGGERNAUT Cincinnati Bearcats (L 38-6). They finished up at 6-7 (even though 7-6 seemed like DESTINY) and decided to go in another direction at head coach after the season.
Addazio led Boston College to six bowl appearances in seven years at the helm which is certainly not a disgrace. Now it’s time to see what former Ohio St co-DC Jeff Rafley can do in his first stint as a head coach.
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
ACC – #14
<Note: In 2020, the top two teams in the ACC advance to the conference title game regardless of division. That includes Notre Dame.>
Boston College Eagles 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
The personnel is going to look at lot different given the departure of QB Anthony Brown (transferred to Oregon) and loss of superstar RB AJ Dillon who was a three-time 1st Team ACC performer (1,685, 14 TD LY; drafted by Green Bay) and a MEGALOCKS favorite. Where do we go from here? Notre Dame transfer QB Phil Jurkovec is a highly-regarded dual threat that would should bring some SPICE to the offense. He was granted immediate eligibility this month. Backup Dennis Grosel is in the mix after getting some time LY (48%, 9-3 TD to INT; started final seven games). RB David Bailey is a legit #1 RB that will have the spotlight to his own and note his fine production last year as the #2 man (844, 7 TD). The Eagles ranked #1 in the ACC in rushing offense LY (#8 FBS, 253 YPG) and return four starters to an excellent offensive line. That’s good news for Bailey and company. The weapons in the passing game should produce at a decent level provided they get decent QB play. The top-three players in terms of receptions and receiving yards all return to the mix (WR Kobay White, WR Zay Flowers, TE Hunter Long). One final note. ROCKET FAST RB Jaelen Gill transferred from Ohio St and is another transfer that could make a big impact.
There are some interesting pieces on board but the upside is probably a mid-tier finish in the major offensive statistical categories.
DEFENSE
The Eagles finished last in the ACC in total defense last year (479 YPG) and ranked a disgusting #125 in the FBS in that regard. They were #100 in rush defense and #114 pass efficiency D. They only managed to bag 19 sacks (#109) and will need to step-up the PENETRATION if they want to take a step forward. Run stuffs were there, but it obviously didn’t help much overall. It would also be helpful to not be a TRASH HEAP when it comes to getting off the field on 3rd downs. They allowed 46.4% conversions last year (#121) which placed them in the same area code as teams like Texas St and Coastal Carolina. Some good news? The Eagles’ top-3 tacklers are back for duty including their fine LB Max Richardson who led the team in tackles (108), TFL (14.5) and sacks (3.5) a season ago. Sixteen of the top nineteen tacklers are back in the fold and it can’t hurt to have a seasoned defensive roster, even when switching coaching staffs. Having said that, we still aren’t sure where the pass rush will come from, and there doesn’t appear to be enough STAR POWER.
It’s hard to call for anything other than another long season for the defense. Their new HC is a defensive mind so maybe that will help them exceed expectations?
SPECIAL TEAMS
There’s continuity across the board. Senior PK Aaron Boumerhi (12/18 FG LY) is back for another KICK (Hey-O !) at the cat and here’s hoping he can do better than 7/13 from 30+ yards. Senior punter Grant Carlson is back along with primary return man Travis Levy.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The schedule went through a major PLANDEMIC overhaul and it’s still unclear who their non-conference opponent will be as we hit press time. In ACC play, they add the Irish, Pitt, Duke, GT, and the Cavs whilst greasing Wake, Florida St, and the Pack from the docket. This is a rebuilding year, so we suppose it doesn’t matter that much.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Syracuse (November 7th)
This will be their 3rd road game in four weeks and they have a yuuuuuge game with Notre Dame on deck that’s always a big deal for them.
Season Win Total
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
MEGALOCKS says:
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
Our BOSTON COLLEGE INSIDERS would probably post this bad boy in the vicinity of Over 3 -110, Under 3 -110.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
Here’s one to try and win a bar bet. Who’s the Boston College all-time leader in TD passes? Doug Flutie? Nope (67). Gotta be Matt Ryan. Nope (56). The answer is Glenn Foley who played for the Eagles from 1990-1993 (72).
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
This looks like one of the weaker teams in the conference. There’s not much to love on defense and we worry about the offense being able to carry the load if they can’t cobble together acceptable QB play. At least they got some good news on the transfer front so it’s fair to say there’s upside if everything breaks right. There will probably be a lot of growing pains in year one of the Jeff Rafley era but we’ll be cheering for them to pull an upset or two.
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