Miami and Boston College face off in an ACC directional meeting

Miami and Boston College each need to win to salvage a season which has not gone the way they had planned.

It's not for a ranking. It's not for a championship. In fact, were it not played in the Friday Night Lights' setting created by ESPN, the Atlantic Coast Conference meeting between Boston College and Miami at BC's Alumni Stadium would hardly cause a ripple in the college football waters.

BC is a respectable 5-2, but you have to look hard to find a quality win (Temple?) for the Eagles, while Miami started the season ranked in the Top 10 in the pre-season and has slid downward since with a 5-2 record, which two weeks ago included a road loss to Virginia which bounced the Canes' out of the Top 25.

Both teams are coming off a bye week, so they should be well rested and prepared. Normally, the Canes' would be more than a field goal favorite, but the loss to Virginia and the way they performed for all but the final five minutes in a dramatic come-from-behind win against Florida State, created as many questions as providing answers on the Canes' ability to perform at a level worthy of a division champ, much less a conference champion who some people thought could be in the hunt for a Final Four berth.

What is more clear is the significance of this game for both teams.

A BC loss could send Coach Steve Addazio's team tumbling for the remainder of the season. A win will make them bowl eligible (6 wins) in October, something that hasn't happened at The Heights since 2009.

For Miami, the goal is equally clear. A win would also make Miami bowl eligible, but it would keep their hopes of reaching the ACC championship game for the second consecutive season alive, although they will need Virginia to lose again for that to happen, which doesn't sound unreasonable since the Cavs finish their regular season with road games at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

A loss?

Well, throw the Canes' into the discard pile as one of the major disappointments of the 2018 season in terms of great expectations.

It will be nippy and perhaps damp at Alumni Stadium on Friday night, which is more BC weather and the Eagle' crowd can get rowdy, although using the term "intimidating'' might be stretch.

What also helps BC is the return of running back AJ Dillon (sprained ankle) to active duty after a two week layoff.

Miami coach Mark Richt, who is playing QB bingo with veteran Malik Rozier (this week's starter) and redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry, acknowledges the Eagles' offensive strength with a healthy Dillon. "You watch Dillon play and he's a beast,''conceded Richt this week.

As for his QBs, Richt says he will stick with Rozier, who had the starting job, lost it and then regained it. ""Right now I think Malik gives us a better chance to win as a starter,'' said Richt, who said he will not hesitate to switch back to Perry if he feels it is necessary (Miami is not moving the ball).

Although it is a fine line, the need to win favors BC.

After Miami the Eagles face Virginia Tech, Clemson and FSU, which at the start of the season looked like an Everest type climb, but might be just a little less daunting considering the way Virginia Tech and FSU have stumbled this season--they have five losses combined which was more than a season's total a few years ago.

Getting W No. 6 would do much too boost the Eagles' confidence. Addazio knows the challenge that even a Miami which is off stride can present. ""They have athletes, they have speed, they play with physicality,'' he said. "It will be a tremendous challenge for our football program here on Friday night.''

In many ways, it will be that way for both teams, with the winner clearly moving forward and the loser sent into the scramble mode once again.