Boston College Eagles 2016 NCAA Football Preview
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Atlantic Coast Conference – Atlantic Division
2015 Record – 3-9
ATS – 4-7-1
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
Atlantic Division #5
Conference #9
2015 Recap
The QB play was comically humiliating. The defense was absolutely fantastic. Boston College had the #1 ranked defense (254 yards per game allowed) but could only muster 111 yards passing per game which put them at #124 just ahead of Navy and Army. Of course, a lot of the blame goes to an inexperienced offensive line but the passing game never really had a prayer. The Eagles started out with wins over FCS foes Maine and Howard but could only manage one additional victory the rest of the season. Boston College comes into 2016 with an 8-game losing streak.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
Kentucky transfer Patrick Towles takes over the QB duties for the Eagles and it is probably impossible for him to be anything other than an upgrade. RB John Hillman was injured early on last season and returns to lead a group that promises to be a lot better in 2016. The offensive line is more experienced and that should help Boston College pound the ball in the running game like we were accustomed to seeing in 2013 and 2014. The leading receiver last season had 233 yards. Total. The QB play is mostly to blame for that DEBACLE but it is still not clear what kind of talent the Eagles have in the WR corps. As bad as the offense was last season they were still in a lot of close games vs some good teams so any improvement should show up in the win column.
DEFENSE
What a performance. #1 in the NCAA in total defense and #4 in scoring defense. A brick wall against the run. Very good against the pass (9 TDs allowed all season). The defense returns 7 starters and should be stingy once again. Boston College was also ranked 1st in tackles for loss per game (115 total) and they return three players who accounted for 45.5 of that total. They promise to be very disruptive again. We do have concern about losing their DC Don Brown even though they found a solid replacement in Jim Reid. Sometimes the results are just hard to replicate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
This appears to be a weakness heading into the season. Kicking FGs was an adventure last season and not in a good way. They lose a very good punter in Alex Howell. Michael Walker did a nice job on kickoff returns ranking 2nd in the ACC (28.6) and will handle the duties in 2016.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 7.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Bowl eligibility is not out of the question for the Eagles this season. It is hard not to cheer for this football program because they are tougher than a $4 steak. The schedule does not do them any favors. It all starts with a trip to Dublin, Ireland and two weeks later they play at the Hokies. Games against Clemson and Florida St have to be considered automatic losses. The good news is that there ARE some soft spots to help them reach the 6-win plateau.
Overall, we give the EAGLES a 7.0 ATS Value Rating (Good) this season. HC Addazio led this team to 15-11 mark ATS in his first two seasons and nobody could have done anything with that HOT MESS at QB last season. The team never quit. Most importantly, the defense has been sensational the past couple of seasons and looks strong once again. That bodes well for Boston College ATS backers in 2016 as we think they will be underrated.
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