2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Bottom Line & Pick

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Our final football pick of the 2013 Boston College football season is upon us, and what a year it has been. Regardless of tomorrow’s result in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, the Eagles will finish with a winning record and are back on the map. As they face the Arizona Wildcats, will they make it an eight-win season?

Boston College Best-Case Scenario
This game follows the script of many of their biggest triumphs this season: the Eagles get Andre Williams going early and the defense comes out on fire. Andre plows through Arizona’s average run defense, and though Ka’Deem Carey does some damage himself, the Eagles manage to stay ahead of the Wildcats almost the entire way. Boston College keeps contain on BJ Denker and the Wildcats struggle to get going while the Eagles rush to a two-touchdown win behind a strong performance for Andre Williams in his final game.

Boston College Worst-Case Scenario
Arizona’s run defense shows up early, slowing Andre Williams down to the point of ineffectiveness. Ka’Deem Carey, however, is not bullied, as he and Denker push Arizona to a two-touchdown advantage in the first quarter. Boston College eventually gets going, though with somewhat minimal offensive impact, but the Eagles defense wears down and can’t stop Carey. Arizona wins by about two touchdowns and Boston College plays catch-up the entire way.

Bottom Line
Arizona is a respectably-sized favorite in this game. ESPN’s in-house computer projection has the Wildcats winning by 11. Most of the pundits are picking Arizona.

The Eagles are getting no respect and that’s probably just the way they like it. For one thing, on paper, these teams look quite similar. The difference may be that Arizona has that signature win over then-#5 Oregon, but otherwise, both teams have been competitive for most of the season. Both running games have been stellar, and both defenses have been improved.

I would put Boston College’s run game up against anyone else’s in the country, including Arizona’s with the nation’s second-best rusher. Maybe Arizona will win big in spite of that and make the national pundits look good, but at this point, I am not willing to concede like they are that Boston College is not up to the task. Perhaps they aren’t, but prove it to me, because for the most part I’ve seen the opposite this season. Let’s roll the dice on the Eagles one more time.

The Pick
• Boston College 31, Arizona 28