Boston College vs. Virginia Tech: Final Thoughts And Predictions

It has been over eight months since we have since Boston College football play, almost nine if you don't consider the cancelled First Responders Bowl against Boise State a game. On Saturday, the Eagles will open Chapter 7 of the Steve Addazio story, with a matchup against what could be a sneaky good Virginia Tech squad. A.J. Dillon is back and at 100% which should give defenses fits, and elate BC fans. It's a later game (4pm), with it also being Labor Day weekend, so hopefully the Boston College crowd will be good and loud.

5 Key Questions

1. How Improved Is Anthony Brown? This was a major key area going into this season. Last year as we have mentioned before Brown looked dynamite against Wake Forest and in halves of other games, but looked completely overwhelmed in others. How much improvement did he make with his offseason training and with new offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian?

2. How Green Is The D-Line? There are three new faces on the defensive line, but two of the starters have had playing time, and another saw solid time last year so it's not like a group of freshmen thrown to the wolves. Kyiev Bennermon is brand new, so he will be worth watching, but you have to wonder how this unit performs.

3. Will The Defensive Secondary Gel? Ryan Willis, the Virginia Tech can certainly huck the football, throwing for 2700 yards and 24 touchdowns last year. BC's secondary certainly has some talent with two long CB's with good speed in Brandon Sebastian and Tate Haynes. But will they gel quick enough to prevent big chunk plays?

4. Can They Keep The VT Defense Guessing? VT's defense was very un-Bud Foster like last year, finishing 98th in the country. A lot of this was due to injuries, guys who weren't buying in, and youth. There is no way that defense will be as bad as it was last year. That being said, they are still vulnerable. The last thing BC needs to do is give them hope by running the ball on 1st/2nd down and passing just on 3rd. If Bajakian can keep it fresh, they should still be able to put up points.

5. Can Special Teams Be A Strength? BC brought in a transfer kicker Aaron Boumerhi who will be starting this game, his abilities give the Eagles a consistent FG kicker for the first time since Nate Freese. Grant Carlson looks like he could do an excellent job pinning back VT and flipping the field. And Travis Levy and Zay Flowers could both be dynamic kick returners.

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BC Will Win If: They put up points, they don't waste drives, and can force a pivotal stop/turnover or two on defense.

BC Will Lose If: Their offense becomes predictable, they struggle on 3rd down on both sides of the ball, they turn the ball over.

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Pregame Music To Get You Ready To Rock Alumni Stadium

Ante Up: M.OP: Ooh baby this sound gets my blood going.

Beer of the Game: Pulp Daddy

If you haven't checked out Greater Good in Worcester you need to remedy that as soon as possible. It's a great smaller brewery that produces some stellar small batch beers. Of course I went with an IPA here, but they have some other pale ales and sours that were really delicious as well. They have limited food there, but what I did have when I visited was good.

Food of The Week: Hoffa BBQ

My podcast co-host Eric Hoffses has his own BBQ company, and his food looks absolutely delicious. I haven't had a chance myself to partake in it, but his company is seemingly at different events, which I have to check out. If you haven't already follow Eric's BBQ company on Instagram.

Fan Excitement Gauge: 9/10

A sort of-kind of rival in the season opener? Two teams that are pretty evenly matched at home? SIGN ME UP!

Prediction Game:

To kick off BC Maven's in season coverage this year, we are going to create a little friendly competition this year. If you want to make a prediction do so in the comment section, the commenter who is closest will get 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, 3rd place 1 point. We will keep track of scores on future Final Thoughts post, and here is the kicker. The team with the most points by the end of the bowl game season will win a $30 gift certificate to the BC book store for the winner, $15 for second place and $10 for third.. Want to win? Just make your predictions below!

Follow Us!: You can follow AJ @BCHysteria on Twitter, and the official BCMaven account @Maven_BC, and on Instagram at @BCeaglesmaven

Final Prediction: Last night on the BC Maven Podcast, I got a little crazy and picked BC to blow out VT. After I slept on it, I am going to adjust my predictions. I think BC and VT matchup well with each other's weaknesses, so therefore I am going to go with this game becoming a shootout. However, I think BC will actually win on a field goal, as Aaron Boumerhi comes in and nails a 40 yarder with time winding down that gives BC a huge win.

AJ's Prediction: BC 38 VT 35

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