Ranking BC's Boston College Road Trips For The 2019 Season

Taking a yearly road trip is an essential part of any college football fans experience. As we get closer to the start of the Boston College football season, I wanted to rank BC's opponents by the desirability fans would have to make that pilgrimage. One of my former colleagues Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician did a great article laying out Syracuse's road destinations, so today I am going to make my own spin on their system.

Ranking Criteria:
* The Town and surrounding area: Fun stuff to do? Good location?
* Interesting Opponent: Is this a team you actually want to watch?
* Winnability of Game: Can BC actually win this game?
* Accessibility: Can you get tickets with mortgaging your house. Can you drive there, or get a cheap flight from the Boston area?
* Stadium, Fans And Traditions: Is this a place you just have to travel to ? How about the fans? Are there must see traditions?

#1,050,424: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Town And Surrounding Area: 1
Interesting Opponent: 1
Winnability of Game: 9
Accessibility: 8
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 1

Look if you want a game that Boston College is going to win, and you want to go cheap and not worry about having to pay outrageous prices, Rutgers is the game for you. But there is nothing there in terms of anything special. It's in the middle of a non-descript New Jersey town, Rutgers is terrible, the stadium is a half filled dump, and the fans are what they are. It's an easy trip to make from Boston, and you are almost guaranteed to watch AJ Dillon plow over them for four quarters, but if you want something special this game is certainly not it. There is nothing to write home about in terms of tailgating.

#5: Pittsburgh Panthers

The Town and Surrounding Area: 7
Interesting Opponent: 6
Winnability of Game: 6
Accessibility: 6
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 4

Pittsburgh, the reigning ACC Coastal Champions is an interesting opponent in an interesting stadium for BC fans. This game loses a ton of points because they don't even play in a college stadium, Heinz Field could be a fun place to watch a football game, but it's going to be COLD, so it could be a slog fest with both physical teams trying to out bash each other in the trenches. This isn't a UMass game at Gillette in August with nice weather, it's going to be freezing cold. Not terribly hard to get to either by airport or driving. Tailgating looks like a breeze, but there really is nothing special about the stadium, a lukewarm fanbase and no real big traditions

#4 Syracuse University Orange

The Town and Surrounding Area: 6
Interesting Opponent: 7
Winnability of Game: 4
Accessibility: 5
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 3

Syracuse is actually a pretty under rated town, but loses major points because it's located in the North Pole, and the game is happening in early November. Syracuse is a pretty fun college town, with some great bars and tailgating is a snap at the Carrier Dome, but bring your warmed apple cider. Unfortunately, you probably are going to have to make the looooong drive up to Syracuse as there are no major airports near the stadium. Also, I hate dome stadiums. Sorry, college football shouldn't be played in a dome, but I guess that is what you have to do when you play in northern New York. On the positive side, Syracuse should have a fun team to watch, and Dino Babers puts together a program that are always interesting to watch. BC probably will struggle in this game though.

#3 Louisville Cardinals

The Town and Surrounding Area: 7
Interesting Opponent: 5
Winnability of Game: 9
Accessibility: 5
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 4

A trip to the Papa John's, I mean Cardinal Stadium seems like a decent mid level trip for BC fans this year. The climate is much better than Pittsburgh or Syracuse (for tailgating at least), and there is a good chance BC walks away with a win in this game. Watching Scott Saterfield's first year in the ACC seems like an attraction, fans are kind of "eh" as there are some solid ones but there are also some real dregs, and the stadium and experience is very mediocre. But at least it is warm, and Louisville the town is worth visiting, for probably the best food and booze on this list.

#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Town and Surrounding Area: 4
Interesting Opponent: 9
Winnability of Game: 2
Accessibility: 4
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 10

So here is where the controversy probably will begin. The traditional BC fan would say that Notre Dame should be the ultimate road trip every time this game happens. Tailgating is a snap, as you can just drive on up, and find a ton of BC fans who will either RV or tailgate alongside with you. The stadium is a must see, and it's an experience every BC fan must take in at least once in their lifetime. However, what sinks this to #2 is that I believe that Clemson as a whole has become the ultimate road trip for the whole entire college football experience. Compared to 6-3 this isn't even close, but Clemson snags the Top Spot.

#1 Clemson Tigers

The Town and Surrounding Area: 7
Interesting Opponent: 10
Winnability of Game: 1
Accessibility: 5
Stadium, Fans And Traditions: 10

It had to be Clemson in the top spot. One of my favorite fan bases to interact with, the defending National Champions, Trevor Lawrence possibily the Heisman favorite, and oh that stadium. I haven't made it down to Clemson but everyone I have interacted with have said it is the best road trip they have ever had. Super friendly Clemson fans, good food, easy to tailgate, just everything. Notre Dame may be the traditional favorite for BC trips, but Clemson has become the gold standard for the new generation.