Staff Analysis and Picks: Boston College vs. Clemson

Welcome back to a weekly feature where the Eagle Insiders staff does one final breakdown of the upcoming game before making a prediction. Here are this week's predictions for the showdown between the #14/17 Boston College Eagles (7-2 Overall, 4-1 ACC) and the #2 Clemson Tigers (9-0, 5-0 ACC) at Alumni Stadium on Saturday night at 8 P.M. EST. The winner of this game will have control of the ACC Atlantic and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

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Adam Baliatico, Eagle Insiders Lead Publisher:

Prediction: Clemson 31, Boston College 20

Analysis: I have gone back and forth on this prediction all week and to be quite honest, it has given me a lot of pause. On one hand, everything I have seen from Clemson the past few weeks, combined with the 20 point spread suggests that I should be predicting a significant victory for Clemson. On the other hand, Boston College has the tools that I believe are needed to play a team like Clemson close (great running game, elite offensive and defensive lines, strong secondary, aggressive coaching). If this game was being played in balmy, 60 degree weather, I think my prediction would be a lot different.

However, the atmosphere at Alumni Stadium is going to be electric. It is going to be 35-40 degrees with 15-30 mile per hour winds and Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never been north of Virginia. In fact, the last time Clemson played a game with a kickoff temperature below 40 degrees was in 2009. That, combined with the fact that on paper, Boston College matches up as well as you can with a team like Clemson, and I think Boston College has a chance to keep this game close and cover the spread.

Do I think BC has a chance of winning? Yes, I absolutely believe it is possible. Do I believe BC could lose by 30+? Yes, I also think that is possible. What do I think needs to happen for Boston College to pull the major upset? First, they need to hit on their trick plays. You know Coach Steve Addazio is going to pull out all the tricks in the book, and connecting on them is going to be crucial. Second, they need Wake Forest Anthony Brown to show up and not Purdue or 1st half Virginia Tech Anthony Brown. Even if they get both of those things, I still think they need to force a couple uncharacteristic turnovers from Clemson and limit their big plays. Clemson is going to score the ball, but if BC can limit the explosive plays while connecting on a few themselves, I think they could pull the upset.

However, for prediction purposes I will say that Boston College keeps this game closer than most expect, covers, and perhaps even has it at a one score game in the fourth quarter, as they did last year on the road at Clemson.

(Photo: VOX Media, USA TODAY Sports)

Tyler Calvaruso, Eagle Insiders Senior Staff Member

Prediction: Clemson 42, Boston College 21

Analysis: With AJ Dillon listed as a game time decision, this one becomes even harder to predict than it already is. This is arguably the biggest game in a decade for Boston College and you can bet that Steve Addazio will have his guys locked in and ready to go come kickoff. With that being said, the Eagles are still taking on one of the most talented teams in the country in Clemson. The Tigers are loaded on both sides of the ball and can beat you in so many different ways. Whether it’s Travis Etienne on the ground or Trevor Lawrence through the air, Clemson’s offense can be unstoppable at times and if the unit is firing on all cylinders against BC, it’ll be a long night for the Eagles.

Boston College needs Dillon to be on the field if it wants to have any chance at winning this week. Having Dillon in the fold would allow Addazio and Scot Loeffler to wear down Clemson’s defense and control the time of possession battle assuming Dillon could consistently gain positive yardage against a dominant Clemson defensive line. That’s not to say Ben Glines or David Bailey could not accomplish this feat, but it becomes a much taller task with Dillon sidelined.

Excluding the Dillon factor, Boston College is going to have to be force turnovers. The secondary has been opportunistic this season, but Lawrence (18 TDs, 3 INTs) is extremely careful with the ball and rarely makes bad decisions under center. To say the Eagles have to be perfect to beat Clemson may be a stretch, but they will certainly have their work cut out for him. As nice as it would be to see BC come away victorious, it’s an unlikely scenario.

(Photo: Michael Shroyer, Getty)

Brian Hommel, Eagle Insiders Football Analyst

Prediction: Clemson 35, Boston College 20

Analysis: With the #2 ranked Clemson Tigers coming to Chestnut Hill this Saturday, BC not only gets to host College Game Day and enjoy the hype around a top-20 matchup, but also plays its biggest game in recent memory. The Eagles have fought, clawed, and won their way to this point, and have earned the spotlight that they will receive on Saturday. But with all of the lights and cameras comes BC’s toughest game to date. The Clemson Tigers aren’t just good, or even great - they’re almost unbeatable, or at least it feels that way.

The Tigers have cruised through their schedule for the most part, and while some teams have stayed in the game to keep it close, Clemson has always found a way to put its opponents away. But on a chilly night in Boston in November, anything is possible. Clemson has some of the best talent and coaching in the country, and their wunderkind QB Trevor Lawrence has lived up to the billing and then some. But the Eagles have talent too, but will need to maximize on the magnitude of the game if they hope to pull out a league-shaking upset.

It all starts upfront. Clemson’s D-line contains some of the best athletes that I can recall seeing in a while, and BC’s offensive line will need to find a way to open up gaps for AJ Dillon (health pending) and keep passing pockets clean for Anthony Brown if they want to have a chance. On the other side of the ball, the BC defense will have its work cut out for it. Clemson’s offense is designed to score a lot of points, and so the Eagles will need to get pressure on Lawrence and tighten up their run defense against Travis Etienne to stay in the game.

If BC does the above and then some, it has a chance of winning. But all in all, Clemson might have too much firepower for all of the chips to fall in BC’s favor. But hope springs eternal! Anything can happen on a Saturday night in a sure-to-be electric Alumni Stadium!

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