2014 Boston College Football: Roadmap to Bowl Eligibility

Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Boston College Roadmap to Bowl Eligibility: Putting It All Together

Some of those Vegas lines from the Golden Nugget were very unfavorable to the Eagles. For example, nine-point underdogs at home to what might end up being an average Pitt team tells you that they do not think much of Boston College this season. The sportsbook then went on to hammer the Eagles as double-digit underdogs in every other game they projected. My estimates for several contests would have been more conservative, including Pitt, Louisville, and Clemson.

Still, we came up with five games in which the Eagles are (in the case of UMass) or will likely be favored. That leaves Boston College one short if it all goes by the book.

One possible path to bowl eligibility looks like this:

Wins: UMass, Pittsburgh, Maine, Colorado State, Wake Forest, Syracuse
Losses: USC, NC State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Florida State

Another looks like this:

Wins: UMass, Maine, Colorado State, NC State, Wake Forest, Syracuse
Losses: Pittsburgh, USC, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Florida State

There are other combinations; feel free to get out a sheet of paper and do them yourselves. Ultimately, whether or not the Eagles get to bowl eligibility rests on these things as we approach the 2014 season:

• Winning all of the “easier” games
• Squeaking out wins over Wake Forest and Syracuse, in which the Eagles may be small favorites
• Pull an upset against a school like Pitt or NC State

The calculus can and probably will change over the course of the season, so prepare for twists and turns. The road will not be easy if the Eagles are to get back to a bowl, but it looked far more impossible in 2013 when Boston College was building off of two wins.