About two weeks ago, I projected where Boston College football could end up bowling with a few weeks left in the season. Now with the regular season finally settled and only conference championships remaining, we can more confidently figure out where the Eagles fall in the pecking order.
Here are the 12 ACC teams that will go bowling this season:
- Florida State (12-0)
- Louisville (10-2)
- NC State (9-3)
- Notre Dame (9-3)
- Clemson (8-4)
- UNC (8-4)
- Duke (7-5)
- Miami (7-5)
- Georgia Tech (6-6)
- Virginia Tech (6-6)
- Boston College (6-6)
- Syracuse (6-6)
Here are the bowls available to ACC teams and Notre Dame.
CFP
- College Football Playoff Semifinal
ACC Champ (or next highest ranked team)
- Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami, FL
Tier 1
- Pinstripe Bowl in New York, NY on Thursday 12/28
- Pop Tart Bowl in Orlando, FL on Thursday 12/28
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday 12/27
- Fenway Bowl in Boston, MA on Thursday 12/28
- Military Bowl in Annapolis, MD on Wednesday 12/27
- ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, FL on Monday 1/1
- Holiday Bowl in San Diego, CA on TBD
- Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL on Friday 12/29
- Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX on Friday 12/29
Tier 2
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, FL on Friday 12/22
- TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, AL on Saturday 12/23
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, TX on Tuesday 12/26
Where will they go?
With Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech all slipping through under the wire, the ACC will send a whopping 12 teams to bowl games. This means that at least one ACC team will have to be sent to a Tier 2 location, or two teams if FSU loses against Louisville in the ACC Championship Game and misses the CFP. Given BC’s recent history of often being the odd school out, and with BC fan interest at a lower level than normal, it does seem that the Eagles could be sent two Tier 2 and play an earlier game.
With that reality in mind, I’m officially predicting that Boston College will go bowling in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, TX on Tuesday 12/26. A sequel to 2018’s canceled game against Boise State! Appearances in the Birmingham Bowl or the Gasparilla Bowl wouldn’t surprise me either, even though they just visited Birmingham in 2019.
But if that doesn’t happen and Boston College remains in Tier 1, then the two likeliest locations for them to end up are the Fenway Bowl or the Pinstripe Bowl. With Syracuse having gone to NYC just last year, they cannot be selected for the Pinstripe Bowl again, so I would predict that the Orange end up in Boston for the Fenway Bowl and the Eagles end up in Yankee Stadium.