Boston College vs. UVA: Prediction and Final Thoughts
Boston College wraps up their regular season against the University of Virginia on Saturday. In a game with two teams most likely bowl bound but not ACC Championship bound, there is still a lot to play for. The Eagles sit at 6-4, have the opportunity to get to seven wins, as well as finish with a record over .500 in the ACC for the first time since 2009. On top of that the Eagles are 6-0 against the Cavaliers, can they do it again in Charlottesville?
Matchups
When Boston College throws the ball. Advantage Boston College. The Eagles are known for having one of the best passing attacks in the ACC, and UVA one of the worst pass defenses. On paper this could be the biggest matchup disparity this weekend. The big question mark will be the health and availability of Phil Jurkovec. If he plays this is a big advantage for the Eagles.
When Boston College Runs The Ball. Advantage UVA. If you were to just look at the stats for the season, it would look like the Cavaliers have a huge advantage here. They are near the top of the conference in rushing defense, while BC is near the bottom. But if you look at BC's statistics, especially recently it tells a different story. BC can run the ball. In three out of their last five games the Eagles have rushed for 180+ yards. The two outliers were Notre Dame and Clemson. David Bailey's health will be a big factor here, but from all reports from Jeff Hafley it sounds like he should be good to go.
When UVA throws the ball Advantage Boston College. This is actually pretty evenly matched as BC is 6th in the conference in pass defense while UVA is 8th in pass offense. What really tips the scales are the turnovers. The Cavaliers have thrown 11 interceptions while BC has grabbed eight. For a defense that is opportunistic I think this plays into the hands of the Eagles.
When UVA runs the ball. Advantage Boston College. The Eagles have a marginally better rush defense than UVA has a rushing offense. BC has been wildly inconsistent in their rush defense this season however, so we will have to wait to see what version we get on Saturday.
Beer of the Game
Harpoon IPA. You know what nothing fancy here. Just a plain simple smooth IPA from Boston. This beer profile mirrors what Boston College needs to do against UVA, nothing fancy just go out there and do their thing.
Song of the Game.
Boston College made it through an entire football season without a single COVID-19 case! I know this song is corny as all getup, but kind of perfect for what the mood should be surrounding this group of players and staff. What they did was remarkable, and really should be celebrated.
Fan Excitement 5/10
Maybe it's the opponent, maybe it's the end of the season COVID spike, but there isn't much buzz about this game at all. Cavaliers are a solid team, don't get me wrong, but they don't a whole of exciting things, therefore they don't get the adrenaline rushing. Though, fans are pretty excited if they win this game they could be heading to the Gator Bowl.
Prediction
Earlier this week my podcast cohost Eric Hoffses talked about his concerns about what BC will be playing for. He mentioned its the end of the year, they already have six wins, and so on. However, I think there is a lot to play for, and Jeff Hafley will have his team ready. BC just needs to play a fundamentally solid game and don't let up huge plays on defense, and they should be fine. I think the Eagles win this. Boston College 34 UVA 24