Mark these on your calendar
The 2024 college football season is right around the corner and I can’t stop thinking about all of the great games in store for Boston College football this season. Fans are getting an exciting slate of new out-of-conference (and in-conference) opponents, plus a bunch of ACC match-ups that could go in any direction. With a newly expanded conference, parity across the league, and a new coaching staff to lead BC into this era, it’s an exciting time to be a fan. Here are five of the games we’re most looking forward to in 2024.
1. Boston College @ Florida State – The Opener
Monday September 2nd at 7:30pm
The 2024 season will start off with a bang when BC travels down to Tallahassee to face off against the reigning ACC champion #10 Florida State Seminoles. The Eagles took FSU down to the wire last year, falling in the final minutes by just two points despite committing a record number of penalties during the game. If Thomas Castellanos and his crew can recapture the magic of that game, and the rest of the team can remain disciplined, anything can happen. Plus, I’ll be excited just to be watching Boston College football again!
2. Boston College vs Michigan State – The Red Bandanna Game
Saturday September 21st
This is sure to be one of the most crowded games of the year. Boston College will hold their annual Red Bandanna game, to honor 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, against a premier opponent this season. Michigan State is a popular Big Ten foe that is going through a program upheaval, so it’s the perfect time to strike for a big win against a big out-of-conference opponent. The students always show up for these games and the atmosphere will probably be the best it will be all season. If you plan to go to any game this season in-person, you should probably make it this one.
3. Boston College @ Virginia Tech – Thursday Night Football
Thursday October 17th at 7:30pm
The combination of opponent and timing of this game is going to make it a must-watch. Virginia Tech is the darling of college football media right now because of a hot streak that they started at the end of last season that included a big victory over Boston College in Chestnut Hill. But they still barely finished above .500 in 2023 and they have a lot left to prove. I’m not so certain that they’ll be able to live up to the hype, especially if they enter the top-25 within the first few weeks of the season. So a nationally-televised Thursday night game on ESPN is the perfect format to root for a Boston College upset.
4. Boston College vs Syracuse – The Rivalry
Saturday November 9th
BC and Syracuse have been playing annually since 2013 and are historic rivals dating back to 1924. While most of BC’s truly heated rivalries come in the hockey arena, BC/Cuse is the closest we get on the football field these days. And the series has been extremely back-and-forth the past few years, with both teams having a .500 record against each other dating back to 2010 and most games in recent years being decided by single-digits. Both squads will have new head coaches in 2024 and will likely be in the midst of a battle for bowl eligibility at this point in the season, so it should make for some great Northeast football.
5. Boston College vs Pittsburgh – The Closer
Saturday November 30th
Finally, Boston College will end their 2024 regular season at home against Pittsburgh. There is something special about watching football in New England in late November, when the air is cold and the tailgate has hot chocolate. The game against Pitt should be an interesting one, as these two teams are now yearly rivals and will be facing off with regularity as the years go on (if the ACC manages to stay together). The Panthers beat out the Eagles in last season’s match-up in dramatic fashion when Pitt RB Rodney Hammond broke out for a 66-yard touchdown run that sealed the victory in the final minutes of the game. BC will be looking for revenge at home in 2024, and potentially fighting for a win to reach a bowl game.