OTB Staff Roundtable Predictions: Rutgers at Boston College

The Scarlet Knights are less than 24 hours away from opening the season at Boston College. Heading into the noon kickoff, our staff gives some predictions on how this game might turnout.

David Anderson: Time to put predictions on paper that people can hold against us later. Season openers are always a complete wildcard with no film on the opponent, that in mind I think Rutgers has about a 40% chance to win this game. To take advantage, they need to be able to get some yards on the ground and avoid the big play by BC through the air. This is entirely plausible, especially if the BC offensive line is unable to set the tone and the RU DB and/or pass rush is solid. I actually think this is a good time to go up to Massachusetts and potentially sneak a win with so many unknowns, but Jeff Hafley is at minimum a competent head coach and he has an elite quarterback in Phil Jurkovec. As usual, I hope I am wrong. Boston College 31, Rutgers 20.

Cara Sanfilippo: And we’re back! As David A. mentioned, I don’t have a lot to go on here as we don’t even have a quarterback. As you know, I am a half realist, half optimist. I think I have to go with the realistic side here, so I have to say Rutgers will lose unless there have been significant improvements from last season. However, I think it will be a close game as Schiano and company will have the team ready to play. Boston College 27, Rutgers 21.

Art Stein: This is a winnable game and if the game was being played in October or November, I think the Scarlet Knights would win. But the game is when it is and you play them when they tell you to on the schedule. Under the best of circumstances, the Scarlet Knights would have their hands full dealing with Phil Jurkovec and Zay Flowers who if you haven’t heard the name is one of best wideouts in the ACC. Both offensive lines will be tested and on the defensive side of the ball, both front sevens are comparable but the Scarlet Knights clearly have the better defensive backfield. The game will come down to keeping Jurkovec in check and being able to run on the Eagles defense. I think asking for a win this early against a quality opponent on the road might be a bridge too far. Boston College 31, Rutgers 16.

Dave White: It’s Rutgers time. Boston teams have won enough over the past decade, and someone has to dethrone them. Why not the Scarlet Knights? Hey, Eagles, the Scarlet Jackets are coming by land. Rutgers 24 Boston College 17

John Catapano: I’m tired of losing against good teams. Wimsatt gets the start, Gleeson runs an up-tempo offense, and Rutgers D-line does just enough to make Flinging Phil uncomfortable. Rutgers 31 Boston College 23

Greg Patuto: The first prediction of the season is here and questions are about to be answered. Who will Rutgers start under center? How will both quarterbacks be used? Will the linebackers hold up? These are just a few. The difference in this matchup is, Boston College has many of those questions answered.

Phil Jurkovec has plenty to work with offensively and the defense for Boston College is rock solid. This spread has remained around a touchdown since the line initially came out. It seems a bit low when thinking about how the game might play out. If Boston College comes out firing, it could be a bit lopsided. Boston College 30, Rutgers 17