The Daily Nole

Staff Predictions: Boston College at FSU

Mike Erdelyi/FSU athletics

If Florida State wants to extend the bowl streak, a win on Saturday is absolutely necessary. The Seminoles enter the game against Boston College at 4-6 overall with just two games left. There is no more margin for error.

Luckily for them, Boston College does have weaknesses. It is a better Eagles team than years past, but the Seminoles still have certain strengths that they can flex on Saturday afternoon. FSU will know by Saturday night if it will be the worst season in modern team history, or if it will live to fight another day.

We here at The Daily Nole have provided a week’s worth of content aimed at giving you all the information necessary for this game. Check out some of our stories below if you haven’t already:

FSU Football: First Look at Boston College
The Daily Nole — Nov. 13, 2018: Francois to Remain FSU Starting QB
FSU’s Biggest Questions for Boston College
Column: About That Quarterback Situation…
Bowl Projections: No Bowl for Noles

Staff Predictions

Lead writer Clint Eiland: It is always a pain trying to predict games where very important players might be out. Boston College’s two best offensive weapons are running back A.J. Dillon and quarterback Anthony Brown, and neither are 100 percent for Saturday’s contest. Both, one of, or neither of them could be playing.

If Brown is out, Florida State has to like its chances. The Noles can sell out to stop a 1-dimensional Boston College offense and afford to stack the box. If Dillon is out, it gets trickier. Nothing about the secondary has looked promising in the past couple of weeks, and while Brown is no superstar, he is more than capable of burning the FSU secondary.

I am pretty confident that Boston College will shut down the running game. Florida State has improved there, but the Eagles’ defense is built to minimize any production on the ground. If FSU quarterback Deondre Francois and the receivers can have a bounce-back game, the Seminoles will compete for four quarters.

Unfortunately it just seems like Florida State has nothing left in the tank. The Seminoles drop a close one and will guarantee the first season without a bowl in many years. Boston College 31, Florida State 24.

Editor Mike Ferguson: Florida State will be wearing black uniforms on Saturday. Hopefully for FSU, that wasn’t an arrangement made to mourn the death of the bowl streak.

All kidding aside, Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown is a question mark for Saturday’s game, which is a significant development. Conversely, Notre Dame was without starting quarterback Ian Book last week and the Fighting Irish proceeded to run the ball down FSU’s throat to the tune of 365 yards rushing.

After getting blown out in three consecutive weeks, Florida State doesn’t appear to have any true strengths and may have checked out mentally as a football team. If the Seminoles come to play, they’ll have a chance. That, of course, is a big if. Once adversity has struck in recent weeks, FSU has been all too eager to lay down. BC 34, FSU 20.

Digital content manager Edwin Collins: FSU’s free fall continues on Saturday. The defense plays better than in weeks past, but it won’t be enough. The streaks of 36 straight bowl appearances and 41 consecutive winning seasons come to an end. Boston College wins, 16-14.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply