Steve Addazio has very quietly built one of the most consistent teams in college football with the Boston College Eagles. Making a bowl should really be the only goal for BC, especially with Clemson and Florida State in the division. Under Addazio they have done exactly that with exactly 7 wins in five out his six years.
Prestige Ranking: 2*
The Eagles have consistently made bowls, but haven’t even won their (admittedly unfair and almost impossible) division in over a decade.
Last Year’s Record: 7-5 (4-4)
For the most part, Boston College beat the teams they were better than: UMass, Louisville, Wake Forest. And then lost to teams they were worse than: Clemson, Purdue, NC State. However, there were a couple of exceptions. Beating a much better Miami team is impressive, but they wasted an opportunity to beat one of the worst Florida State teams in years.
Projected Returning Starters
Offense: 5
- QB Anthony Brown
- RB AJ Dillon
- WR Kobay White
- LT Ben Petrula
- RG John Phillips
AJ Dillon is obviously the star of this offense, but Anthony Brown improved significantly in his second year as a starter. The redshirt junior QB had a better completion percentage, TD-INT ratio, while also throwing more passes and averaging more yards per attempt last year. Brown could be in for a big year if he continues to improve.
Defense: 3
- DT Tanner Karafa
- LB Max Richardson
- CB Brandon Sebastian
The Eagles are almost completely restarting on defense. Karafa is the only returning starter on the line, but he did manage 47 total tackles and 4 sacks. The secondary also only has one returner in Sebastian, who was productive last year and broke up 8 passes.
Specialists: 2
- K Danny Longman
- P Grant Carlson
Carlson was solid for BC last year, averaging 40.2 yards per punt, but he is the lone returning starter. The biggest loss will surely be returner Michael Walker, who averaged 25.5 yards per return last year.
Key Losses
The biggest loss is absolutely DE Zach Allen. The third round pick had 15 TFLs last season AND was able to knock down 7 passes from his role on the line. Tommy Sweeney was the Eagles second leading receiver as a tight end so it will an important position to replace in 2019.
Key Newcomer on Offense: TE Hunter Long
If Brown is going to significantly improve this year, he is going to need more than just his top receiver Kobay White. BC threw to their tight ends more than almost anyone in the country last year and will certainly rely on the position once again. Long brought in a couple of touchdowns on limited targets last year, but is poised for a breakout season.
Key Newcomer on Defense: CB Tate Haynes
Haynes came to Chestnut Hill as a dual-threat quarterback, but switched to DB during his redshirt season. He will likely be starting opposite Sebastian and will make up for his lack of experience at the position with his athleticism.
Win the Conference if:
This feels impossible for Boston College, almost entirely because the arbitrary ACC divisions screwed them. I would love for BC to be a team that could get lucky every couple of years and challenge for a division title. But with a Clemson monster, a reemerging Florida State and now a peaking Syracuse? Their best hope is a 2012 Wisconsin situation where all the good teams are ineligible.
Circle this Game: Florida State
FSU comes to Alumni Stadium on November 9th, the week after playing rival Miami. The Boston College Eagles could beat a team still rebuilding that’s coming into a letdown situation. Also, this is the best team they get at home: Clemson, Notre Dame and Syracuse are all road games.
2019 Outlook:
This team could very easily start 5-1… but finding that magic 6th win in the second half of the season will be tough. Reaching seven wins once again would be a good season, anything past that would mean a potential program-defining-win and be extremely impressive.
