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Boston College Bowl Game 2023: Where Could BC Football Land?

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Boston College v Pittsburgh
Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Looking like it might be a familiar venue

It’s been a weird, up-and-down season for the Boston College Eagles football team in 2023, but they are going bowling nonetheless. As they approach what will be either a 6-6 or 7-5 record, let’s take a look at what their likely options could be for postseason games this winter.

All of the available bowls to the ACC in 2023:

CFP

  • College Football Playoff Semifinal

ACC Champ (or next highest ranked team)

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

Next, let’s look at which ACC teams could make a bowl game:

Maybe…

With Syracuse and Georgia Tech facing each other on Saturday, we know at least one of those “maybe” teams will qualify for a bowl. Plus Virginia Tech seems likely to defeat either NC State or Virginia in the final two weeks, while Wake Forest would have to fight an uphill battle to become eligible. The most likely number of “maybe” teams qualifying seems like it will be 2, but it could be as many as 4.

So what are the options?

We will likely see Florida State complete their undefeated season and claim a spot in the CFP. If that were to happen, then another ACC team (Louisville probably) would claim a spot in the Orange Bowl, which would leave 9 ACC schools (including Notre Dame) to be selected for the remaining 9 Tier 1 bowls. But if FSU drops a game and is left out of the CFP, or an additional “maybe” team gets to 6 wins, then we could see one or two ACC teams forced into Tier 2 bowl games.

There are a few bowls in Tier 1 we can eliminate for BC. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl has a history of selecting teams from the Carolinas, so I doubt the Eagles will end up there. The Military Bowl invited us in 2021, but the game was canceled due to a COVID outbreak at BC and I don’t think they’ll be inviting us back. And the ReliaQuest Bowl is on New Year’s Day, which is usually reserved for schools with a bigger TV draw than Boston College.

That leaves six remaining in Tier 1:

  • Pinstripe Bowl in New York, NY on Thursday 12/28
  • Pop Tart Bowl in Orlando, FL on Thursday 12/28
  • Fenway Bowl in Boston, MA on Thursday 12/28
  • 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

The most likely options here seem to be either the Fenway Bowl in Boston or the Pinstripe Bowl in NYC. Syracuse is the only other Northeast team in the ACC that could go bowling, and they went to the Pinstripe Bowl last year, so I see NYC as the most likely destination for the Eagles. But it definitely wouldn’t shock me to see them picked for the Fenway Bowl given how local it is, especially if Syracuse loses out and misses a bowl game completely. I would be surprised if BC wasn’t picked for one of those two bowls, but it’s definitely possible they could end up in Florida, Texas, or elsewhere.

There is also a scenario where the ACC is excluded from the CFP, or where 3-4 of Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Syracuse get to 6 wins. In this case, BC could find itself pushed down to a Tier 2 bowl, especially if they lose to Miami on Black Friday. BC is no stranger to this, having attended the First Responder Bowl and the Birmingham Bowl in the past few years. Maybe they’ll go to the Gasparilla Bowl and complete the trifecta! (If you don’t want that to happen, then you should be rooting for FSU to make the playoff)