Boston College at Florida State Opening Line and The Basics

Boston College at Florida State is the Eagles’ final road game of the year, but a chance to dramatically alter the landscape of the college football world.

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Rarely do the Eagles find themselves in such a position late in the season. They have an opportunity this week to do something that everyone else this year — ten teams, to be exact — have failed to do: beat the #1 Florida State Seminoles.

Jameis Winston has never lost a game at Florida State, which is quite impressive considering that he has been there almost two full seasons. Many have tried, and some have come close, but none have succeeded in taking the Seminoles down.

With the rest of college football swarming on the ‘Noles, a loss to the Eagles could prove very damaging to their chances of making the playoff. The eyes of the college football world will be on Tallahassee this Saturday, and the Boston College Eagles will find themselves with some new fans in Starkville, Eugene, Tuscaloosa, and Fort Worth, amongst other places.

The game primer:

Boston College at Florida State Opening Line

Florida State -20

Boston College at Florida State: Us

• Head Coach Steve Addazio (2nd; 13-10)
• Last game: defeated by Louisville, 38-19
• This season: 6-4 (3-3 ACC)
• 4-0 on road this season (final road game)

Boston College at Florida State: Them

• Head Coach Jimbo Fisher (5th; 55-10)
• Last game: defeated Miami, 30-26
• This season: 10-0 (7-0 ACC)
• AP and USA Today #1 in the nation

Boston College at Florida State: The Game

• 13th all-time meeting between Eagles and Seminoles
• Seminoles lead series, 8-4
• Most recent meeting: 2013 (FSU wins, 48-34 at Boston College)
• Eagles 2-3 all-time at Doak Campbell Stadium

• Saturday, November 22, 2014, 3:30pm ET
• TV: ABC/ESPN2
• Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
• Long-range forecast: Mostly sunny, 71

Boston College at Florida State: Initial Evaluation

20 points is almost exactly where I would have put the opening line for this game. Florida State deserves to be a heavy favorite based upon the body of work of both teams so far.

Yet, Boston College was a heavy underdog earlier in the season against a top-ten team, and they overcame that. The difference is that USC never really got back off the mat, while Florida State is again a legitimate national championship contender. This is a change even from the close game the Eagles played against FSU last year since it is on the road. Boston College is going to have to scrap for every yard they can get and actually find a way to close out the game against a team that has made a habit of storming back late.

It goes without saying that a win would eclipse the USC game, and set off a grenade at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings.