With a new Syracuse Orange football season looming, we’re pleased to say that a fan favorite TNIAAM series is making its return once again to help you get ready for the new year.
At long last, the end of the road is here. With 11 games down and just one to go, Syracuse is closing in on its final game of the 2025 regular season. In case you’re looking to catch up, here are all the opponent previews we’ve done up to this point:
- Tennessee
- UConn
- Colgate
- Clemson
- Duke
- SMU
- Pittsburgh
- Georgia Tech
- North Carolina
- Miami (FL)
- Notre Dame
And now, the Orange are back in the JMA Wireless Dome for not just their
final guaranteed game, but potentially a “win and in” situation for making a bowl game. Historically, Syracuse has stayed on top in the series, but the Eagles have had the Orange’s number in their last two matchups. Can ‘Cuse get its first home win over BC in four years, or do the Eagles pull another rabbit (or in this case, eagle) out of their hat and end the Orange’s 2025 season with an L?
Here’s your preview of the Orange’s matchup versus Boston College:
What to know about the Boston College Eagles
School: Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Nickname: Eagles
Mascots: Baldwin the Eagle, Baldwin Jr. the (Bigger) Eagle
#BRAND Slogans: #WeAreBC, #EverToExcel, #ForBoston
Alternate #BRAND Slogans: #FlyHigh, #SoaringToSixWins, #HighOnTheHilltop
Conference: ACC
History vs. Syracuse: Syracuse is 34-24 all-time versus BC dating back to October 1924. That includes a 20-10 record at home. The Orange won eight of the first 10 games in the series. The Eagles got most of their wins during the seventies, but since then, Syracuse has tended to win more likely than not. That said, Syracuse has dropped to straight versus the Eagles, both one-score losses. BC most recently won 37-31 in Chestnut Hill last year.
Coach: A former NFL head coach is back for his second year with the program. Bill O’Brien took over in February 2024 and helped guide BC to a 7-6 season, a short-lived appearance in the AP top-25 and an appearance in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. O’Brien’s coaching career began at Brown in the mid-nineties after playing two years with the team. He then served in various positional coaching roles for Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke, then made a leap to the NFL, starting with the New England Patriots. O’Brien eventually became the offensive coordinator with New England, then had head coaching stints at Penn State and Houston before going back to college with Alabama. After another brief stint with the Patriots as their OC, he took over the mantle at BC.
2024 Record: 7-6 (4-4), Pinstripe Bowl loss
What happened last season: Following in the steps of former head coach Jeff Hafley, O’Brien finished with the same record in his first year, albeit with an extra conference win, but a loss in the bowl game.
It was an up-and-down campaign throughout the year, with the Eagles never winning more than two games in a row. BC actually started off with four wins in its first five games, including a 15-point victory on the road versus then-No. 10 Florida State (lol), a 56-0 blowout over Duquesne and single-digit wins over Michigan State and Western Kentucky; its lone loss came by six points on the road to No. 6 Missouri.
That said, a three-game skid versus Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville dropped BC back to .500. The Eagles did rally with three wins in their last four games against ‘Cuse, North Carolina and Pitt. The Eagles clinched their second bowl appearance in a row (first time since 2016 and 2017), but fell by five points to Nebraska.
BC notably had some change at the QB spot, with Thomas Castellanos (61.5% on throws for 1,366 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions) starting in eight games, before Grayson James (63.9%, 1,202 yards, six TDs and two INTs) pretty much took over the rest of the way. No running back for BC finished with more than 800 yards, but Kye Robichaux (175 carries for 744 yards and 10 TDs) led the ground game. The Eagles also had a pair of All-ACC first-team offensive lineman (OT Ozzy Trapilo and C Drew Kendall), but not much help at receiver. Lewis Bond had nearly 700 receiving yards; no other player cracked above 500.
On defense, DE Donovan Ezeiruaku (16.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 80 combined tackles) was a force and then some in the interior, but only he and and DT Cam Horsley (42 combined tackles, seven TFLs) were the only Eagles defensive players to make All-ACC.
What happened during the offseason: ESPN’s latest SP+ rankings does project BC to be bringing back a decent chunk of talent from last year. It ranks No. 39 in returning production, including top-50 marks on both sides of the ball. It’s the fifth-best mark in the conference.
BC will certainly be relying on that returning talent, mainly because the Eagles added just 17 players via the portal, all of whom are three-stars. Its transfer portal class ranks No. 67 overall per 247Sports. Headlining the group is former three-star West Virginia EDGE Makai Byerson, former three-star Wake Forest DL Chris Marable Jr. and former three-star Michigan LB Jason Hewlett Jr.
The Eagles’ incoming recruitment class isn’t eye-popping either, ranking No. 96 overall according to 247Sports. Its 13 commitments are all three-stars, led by OT Pape Sy, WR Syair Torrence and IOL Judah Pruitt.
2025 season projections: FanDuel has BC and ’Cuse tied with the same odds (+8000) to win the conference. BC’s over-under currently sits at 5.5 wins, with -128 on the under and +104 on the over.
The Eagles open the year at home versus Fordham. Other home games are against California, Clemson, UConn, Notre Dame, SMU and Georgia Tech. Its road matchups are versus Michigan State, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Louisville and ‘Cuse.
Game Date: Saturday, November 29th
Location: JMA Wireless Dome
Odds of Orange Victory: 52%
Odds of “marquee game” potential: 47%
Very Early Outlook vs. Syracuse: We know the story with BC — they *always win six games, and somehow, no more than seven. In the last 12 years, the Eagles have done so 10 times. Since 2016, it’s done so in all but one year. The big question: will that win come at the expense of the Orange?
Ironically, it’s the first time this entire opponent preview series that I’ll use this phrase: “the trap game.” BC does return its QB from last year (plus a transfer from Alabama) and a couple of receivers who at least shined at times. Their defense has a lot of returning pieces and could be more solid compared to last year. The big concern with the Eagles is on the offensive line, having to replace three starters and two All-ACC-caliber lineman. Then again, two of Syracuse’s biggest uncertainties on defense is does anyone stand out in the trenches, and who fills in the holes left behind the starting linebackers. BC’s offense is intriguing and the defense is solid. Another thing to keep in mind: this game is during Thanksgiving week. So yes, the Orange do have home-field advantage, but it won’t be a full-force crowd as, say, earlier in the fall.
All that said, this is still BC we’re talking about. Syracuse has dropped three straight in the series just one (and it’s been decades; 1969, 1971-72). And as much as the talk of town is how tough Syracuse’s schedule is, here is who BC plays leading into its game versus the Orange — at Pitt, home for Clemson, home for UConn, at Louisville, home for Notre Dame, home for SMU, home for Georgia Tech and then on the road versus ‘Cuse. Outside maybe UConn, I don’t see BC winning any of those games (maybe GT or Pitt… maybe). There could be a stretch where in late-fall, BC’s season just plummets and has no legs by the time it gets ‘Cuse.
Both sides have questions on each side of the field. This will almost certainly be a #Sickos game. Most Syracuse fans will undoubtedly pick the Orange to win. I think BC is a bit better than consensus, and similarly BC, the wheels could fall off the wagon fast. This is entirely believing in Fran Brown not letting that happen.
And just like that, we have made it to the end of the road in our TNIAAM opponent preview series.
First off, after looking through all 12 opponents, I ended up with this as the final results for initial predictions:
- Tennessee: loss
- UConn: win
- Colgate: win
- Clemson: loss
- Duke: win
- SMU: loss
- Pittsburgh: loss
- Georgia Tech: loss
- North Carolina: 50-50 toss-up
- Miami (FL): loss
- Notre Dame: loss
- Boston College: win
Without tallying up until now, that’s a four-win season with a total 50-50 game for me to pick (UNC) and at least seven losses. Writer’s note: these are not my final predictions. Be sure to stay tuned later this week for our staff’s official season predictions.
Lastly, it was a pleasure taking over this preview series. Feel free to leave any suggestions for what you want to see added or improved for next time around!
