Beat writers split on whether Syracuse can win 1st ACC game against Boston College

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Syracuse is now in a four-game losing streak for the sixth time in eight seasons under head coach Dino Babers. After three blowout losses to some of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a poor offensive effort against Virginia Tech led to a 38-10 loss, leading Babers to say that “everything is on the table” when asked about what could change. The Orange switched up a few things in practice, such as adding in more one-on-one matchups that quarterback Garrett Shrader said enhanced the competition.

The Orange will welcome Boston College to the JMA Wireless Dome for their first home game in over a month. The Eagles have won four straight and are one win away from qualifying for their first bowl game since 2021. BC has the 10th-best rushing offense in the country, despite quarterback Thomas Castellanos battling an unspecified injury for about a month.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse will fare against Boston College on Friday:

Anthony Alandt (7-1)
Something in the orange tells me we’re done
Boston College 19, Syracuse 13

At the beginning of the season, this was supposed to be an automatic win and a much-needed break from the tough mid-season stretch. But what was meant to be a competitive slate that would show the Orange were truly improving as a program became a four-game skid that has led to mounting questions about Babers’ job security. Guys, what happened?

Well, injuries of course. Slow starts. Babers said he “took that personally” on Monday and was pretty adamant about improving that, though it hasn’t all season. I don’t care that the Orange started putting “good on good” in one-on-one situations during practice as Shrader said. A broken offense doesn’t just magically snap back into form.

Boston College has one of the best run games in the country, and as long as the Eagles hop out to an early lead, they’ll be able to keep running the ball. Yes, expect Syracuse to stack the box and snuff out drives. But how long can it let the defense wither out on the field while the offense goes three-and-out? Boston College pulls this one out in the end after going up early and hanging on to the ball for long stretches of time. The Orange remain winless in conference play, and the program-wide questions continue to persist, raging stronger like a cold winter wind off Onondaga Lake.

Wyatt Miller (8-0)
Welcome to November
Syracuse 20, Boston College 24

Welcome to November, Syracuse fans. It’s a month where Babers is 6-20 (.231), and Syracuse is 10-31 (.244) since joining the ACC in 2013. Syracuse routinely loses winnable games in November, and BC’s recent success has rivaled the level of SU’s failures. Syracuse is coming off four-straight ACC losses where they were outscored 150-34, while the Eagles have four-straight wins. It’s hard to pick Syracuse here given the directions each team is trending in.

Both offenses have been starting slow recently, but Syracuse’s offense has been immeasurably bad compared to the Eagles. In conference play, BC ranks second with 458.3 yards per game. Syracuse averages 225.0, ranking last. SU is the only ACC team without a conference win, and every loss has been by multiple scores. In the midst of yet another late-season free fall, everything is pointing toward a Syracuse loss.

The same depth issues have persisted, and may be even worse this week if offensive guard Jakob Bradford and WR Umari Hatcher don’t play. The only thing that makes me think SU will compete with the Eagles is their struggles at the line of scrimmage. In the past, Syracuse has capitalized on that rare advantage. I think that’ll give the offense a chance to get back on track, but it won’t be enough to propel SU to a win.

Henry O’Brien (6-2)
Ugly football
Syracuse 13, Boston College 10

I am now officially in last place among the football beat writers. Tough times. If I predict another game wrong, I’ll have to have a closed door meeting and re-evaluate how I can be better. Similarly, Babers and his players have been doing that the past few weeks as the season continues to spiral away from them.

Earlier in the season, the Boston College game seemed like a game SU could cross off with ease. But the Orange have lost that right, especially after their abysmal 38-10 loss to Virginia Tech. It will be nice for the team to be back in the JMA Wireless Dome after a month of being on the road, but the way the offense has been playing (four touchdowns in four games), it will need to prove it can put together a competent performance.

The Eagles have also exceeded most preseason expectations. In 2022, BC averaged 17 points a game. This year, the Eagles have averaged 28 points per game with Castellanos and running back Kye Robichaux. They lost at home to then-No. 3 Florida State by less than a field goal and had an impressive win over Georgia Tech as part of a four-game win streak.

But Castellanos has been nursing an undisclosed injury for the past month or so and the Eagles looked very mediocre against 1-7 UConn. SU’s defense will have one of its best performances while the offense will do just barely enough (probably a LeQuint Allen Jr. touchdown) to win. This game will be ugly, but Syracuse will squeak out its fifth win of the year and have three more chances to get to back-to-back bowl games for the first time in Babers’ tenure.