During his time at Boston College, Steve Addazio has been Mr. Consistent. The Eagles have finished 7-6 four times during his five years at the school. In a division with Clemson and Florida State, that’s a pretty impressive accomplishment. Boston College doesn’t have the same resources as those two giants, so staying competitive has meant his tenure has been a success. He has a great chance to get to another bowl game in 2018.
Boston College 2018 regular season win total
Over 6 (-115)
Under 6 (-115)
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook
What Happened Last Year
Boston College scored two of their most impressive victories of Addazio’s tenure in 2017. The Eagles started the season 1-3 with three straight blowout losses following a narrow victory over Northern Illinois in the season opener.
They turned it on in October though. BC first won a wild game in Louisville, with A.J. Dillon running for 272 yards and four touchdowns. Two weeks later, the Eagles scored an even more impressive win at home against Florida State. Dillon had another solid game, but the defense was fantastic in this one. Boston College held FSU to just 213 yards and forced three turnovers in a 35-3 win.
What Will Change This Year
Boston College bring back almost its entire offense from 2017. The Eagles return nine starters, and the only two losses were wide receivers. In Addazio’s system, BC relies heavily on the run, so losing two wide-outs is not too important in the grand scheme of things.
More importantly, Dillon and quarterback Anthony Brown will be more seasoned. Both were freshmen last season, and it’s impressive that the Eagles had the success they did given their youth.
This offensive line will be the key though. All five starters from last year return, and four of them are seniors. Everyone on the line weighs in at 300 pounds, and that kind of beef up front should open some holes.
The defense will only bring back six starters, but Jim Reid has proven that he can make it work. Reid had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Don Brown. Brown is seen as one of the top defensive coordinators in college football, yet the defense didn’t take a big step back when he took over.
Zach Allen and Lukas Denis will lead the defense. Allen eclipsed 100 tackles last season and registered 15.5 tackles for loss, while Denis was seen as one of the top safeties in the ACC.
Outlook & Prediction
Boston College will be heavy favorites in three of their four non-conference games. However, the cross-division schedule is brutal. The Eagles will face the two toughest teams in the ACC Coastal in Miami and Virginia Tech, and they must face them in consecutive weeks. That will kick off the toughest four-game stretch that any team in the conference has. After taking on Miami and Virginia Tech, BC will play Clemson and Florida State. Winning just one of those four would likely be considered a success.
The Eagles are a better team than they were last season. However, this schedule will likely keep them from matching last year’s win total. Six wins seems about right with a slight lean toward the under.
