Then. Now. Forever. The CW.
Teams: Syracuse Orange (6-2, 3-2) at Boston College Eagles (4-4, 1-3)
Day & Time: Saturday, November 9, 12:00 pm ET
Location: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
Line: Syracuse-Boston College is almost a coin flip according to Fanduel’s odds. The Orange opened as -1 favorites but currently sit as +1.5 underdogs
TV/Streaming: The CW
Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3, Sirius/XM 382
Rivalry: 34-23, Syracuse
Current Streak: 1, Boston College
First Meeting: One of the oldest northeast football rivalries got started early in 1924. Boston College traveled to Archbold Stadium and got rewarded by scoring zero points against the Orange. Syracuse took a 10-0 victory and the teams wouldn’t play again for another 20 years. The annual game between the programs began in 1971.
Last Meeting: With Carlos Del-Rio Wilson starting only his second career Syracuse game due to an injury to Garrett Shrader, the offense couldn’t get going. Boston College won 17-10 behind the strength of four interceptions.
Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
Head Coaches: Syracuse: Fran Brown (first year, 6-2) | Boston College: Bill O’Brien (first year, 4-4)
Coach Bio: O’Brien is a Massachusetts native, growing up in Andover. He played defensive end and linebacker for Brown University. O’Brien joined the coaching staff of the Bears immediately out of college before joining Georgia Tech as an offensive graduate assistant. He eventually became offensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets. After a brief stop in Maryland, O’Brien became offensive coordinator for Duke before moving to the NFL. He went back home to become an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots in 2007 before coaching the wide receivers and quarterbacks. He became the offensive play caller in 2009 and offensive coordinator in 2011 for the Patriots.
O’Brien’s first head coaching job came in 2012 as he joined Penn State after Joe Paterno’s dismissal. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in his first season in charge of the Nittany Lions. After two years at Penn State, O’Brien returned to the NFL as the head coach of the Houston Texans. He spent seven years with the Texans, reaching the postseason four times. After leaving the Texans, O’Brien returned to college as Alabama’s offensive coordinator for two seasons. He returned to the Patriots for a season as their offensive coordinator before going back to college to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for 2024. However, just 21 days after he officially was named to the Buckeyes staff, O’Brien was hired as Boston College’s head coach. He took over for Jeff Hafley, who left to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.
Last Year: A five-game win streak in the middle of the season gave Boston College a trip to bowl eligibility, improving on a 3-9 record from the previous season. The Eagles defeated future ACC member SMU in the Fenway Bowl 23-14 to close out the season.
Last Game: Boston College had a 20-0 lead with 6:30 in the 2nd quarter and a 27-10 lead with 7:58 left in the 3rd. However, a Louisville passing attack led by QB Tyler Shough and WR Ja’Corey Brooks completed a 31-27 comeback win for the Cardinals on October 25. Louisville rode the momentum to an upset win over No. 11 Clemson the following week.
Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: The dual threat abilities of Thomas Castellanos is what carries the BC offense. He averages 193.1 passing yards per game with 17 passing touchdowns. Castellanos averages 47.3 gained rushing yards per game with one rushing touchdown. He threw for 165 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown against Syracuse last season.
If Syracuse Wins: Well, this means all Syracuse games now need to air on The CW.
If Syracuse Loses: Surely this means Bill O’Brien becomes a NFL head coach next season.
Fun Fact: With five catches against Virginia Tech, LeQuint Allen is now Syracuse’s all-time leader in running back receptions. He has 97, surpassing Antwon Bailey’s 92.