Boston College vs. Notre Dame: Final Thoughts And Predictions
Boston College and Notre Dame face off tomorrow in South Bend, the 23rd installment of this historic rivalry. The Irish have owned the series of late, winning the previous six matchups, including in 2017 when they walloped the Eagles 49-20 in Chestnut Hill. Currently at 8-2, and #15 in the country, Notre Dame is going to be a huge challenge for Boston College, especially on defense where the Eagles have struggled to stop much lesser offenses.
Notre Dame is a very good football team and balanced on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ian Book has struggled against good defenses, but rips apart defenses that aren't elite, which is a bad sign for the Eagles. ND has weapons up and down the line, and one of the best passing defenses in the country. But in a rivalry game, one where BC has kept it close in most of the losses, anything can happen.
Three Questions That Need To Be Answered Against Notre Dame
Matchups
When Notre Dame Runs The Ball: Advantage Notre Dame. Tony Jones Jr hasn't had a break out game yet this season, but against BC's struggling defense he might just have one of those games. Throw in a mobile QB, and Saturday's matchup just got that much more difficult
When Notre Dame Passes The Ball: Advantage Notre Dame. Ian Book has thrown for 26 touchdowns this season, and BC's defense is near the bottom in every statistical category. This could get ugly if BC can't get off the field
When Boston College Passes The Ball: Advantage Notre Dame. Dennis Grosel has been impressive when he has thrown the ball, but he has struggled when facing good defenses. Notre Dame is 4th in the country in yards allowed through the air.
When Boston College Runs The Ball: Advantage Boston College. Here is the one advantage the Eagles have. Notre Dame struggles against the run, and BC obviously can move the ball with AJ Dillon and David Bailey. If BC is going to win this game, they are going to need to dominate in this area.
Beer Of The Game
Guinness. Of course when playing the Fighting Irish I went with a beer straight from Ireland. I visited the Emerald Isle back in 2012, and it is true, Guinness does taste different over there. But even stateside, this is a fantastic beer, especially straight from the tap at your favorite pub.
Song of the Week
Forget a rap song, I have a better video for you...
Fan Excitement: 3/10
This is the state of Boston College football. The Eagles are facing off against the Fighting Irish and the fanbase seems lukewarm about the game. Partially this is due to the FSU loss, partially this is due to the expectations that BC is going to lose badly in this game. Whatever the true root cause, there is a lack of emotion going into a BC/ND game that I haven't seen before out of Eagles fans.
Prediction Contest
It is not too late to join our contest, BC Maven is giving away a $25 gift card to the BC Bookstore for the winner, $15 for second and $10 for third. Remember all you have to do is get your predictions in the comment section below. If you want to win, just enter your comment with your score. Good luck!
Standings (Everyone picked BC, so no points this week!)
Big Daddy Kane: 9 Points
BC2018Stas: 5 points
Claver 2000: 4 points
Txaggie_2011: 4 points
RiderBC: 3 points
Rstarr2: 3 points
Squishy: 3 points
Soar22: 3 points
The Other Flutie: 2 points
TheThrowGame: 2 points
DollardBillsYo: 1 Point
Al_Skinner: 1 Point
DJ Maher: 1 Point
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AJ's Prediction:
Notre Dame 52 Boston College 10. I want to believe that the Eagles can win this, but I just see the Notre Dame offense and can't figure out a way that a historically bad BC defense finds a way to stop them. I see this playing out just the way Clemson did where the Fighting Irish score early and often, and the wheels just come off for BC on both sides of the ball.
Editor and publisher of BC Bulletin. '06 graduate of Boston College, who has followed the program as long as he can remember. Has been covering the Eagles for the past nine years, giving expert analysis, recruiting news and breakdowns. Also the host of Locked on Boston College, a daily BC podcast that is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. When he is not writing or producing content on the Eagles, he can be found running, skiing, enjoying craft beers, or spending time with his family. You can follow AJ Black on Twitter @AJBlack_BC and our official site Twitter account is @BulletinBC