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There’s big trouble in Tallahassee. The Florida State Seminoles have made a bowl for 35 straight years but that streak may be about to come to an end. FSU dropped another tough game this weekend in a 31-28 loss to Louisville and moved to 2-4. The Seminoles still have games against teams like Clemson, Florida, and Syracuse left, so there is no margin for error this weekend. The Boston College Eagles have already showed that they can pull off stunning upsets, having beat Louisville in Papa John’s Stadium just two weeks ago.
This matchup in Week 8 of the regular season will take place on Friday, October 27, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at BC Alumni Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State -3.5
Boston College +3.5
Odds Analysis
Florida State has dominated this series recently. The Seminoles have won the last seven games in the series and have only allowed seven points in the last two games.
FSU has played five straight one possession games thanks to a shaky defense and an offense that has struggled to move the ball with freshman quarterback James Blackman. Blackman has thrown two interceptions in each of his last three games and it’s no surprise this team has yet to score more than 28 points this season as a result.
As for Boston College, the Eagles are on a tear. Boston College routed Virginia 41-10 last week as the Eagles were able to have a lot of success through the air, much to everyone’s surprise. BC is known as a run-dominant team under Steve Addazio and seeing Anthony Brown throw for 275 yards and three touchdowns gives Florida State something to watch for.
Coaching Angle
There are going to be massive changes to FSU’s coaching staff this offseason. Jimbo Fisher is in no danger of losing his job despite the disastrous season, but he is certainly going to shake up his staff.
Charles Kelly will be the first to go as this defense has vastly underplayed its potential. The Seminoles are completely loaded along the defensive line and in the secondary and were expected to be one of the top defenses in college football. That has not been the case though and you have to wonder whether or not certain members of the defense will start to quit.
Additionally, the wide receiver position is perilously thin. Although the Seminoles have recruited well in this area, few of those highly touted recruits have panned out and it is hard not to blame coaching. That’s one of the main reasons why the offense has struggled as Blackman has not had dependable receivers to help him out.
Matchup to Watch
Addazio is going to want to keep the ball on the ground and control the clock against the Seminoles. Boston College loves to run and for the most part only pass when it’s absolutely necessary.
The Seminoles have had some trouble stopping the run this season. FSU’s run defense is ranked 49th in the country as the Seminoles have given up 144.3 yards on the ground per game. While a lot of this was the result of last week’s performance against Louisville, they have only completely shut down a couple teams on the ground all year.
Free ATS Pick
It’s been an awful season for FSU and traveling to Boston on a short week is not something the team wants to do. However, there is still a clear talent gap between Florida State and Boston College and the Seminoles should have no problem covering the spread here. The main worry is whether or not the players have given up on the season, but they know they need to win this one to make a bowl.
College Football Odds: Florida State 27, Boston College 13
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