2020 Bowl Projection Roundup: Could BC Be Headed to Tampa?
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
There are still two more weeks left on the ACC schedule, and four conference-affiliated bowls have already been canceled: the Holiday Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Fenway Bowl.
It’s a waiting game for Boston College, which wrapped up its 11-game regular season last weekend at Virginia.
“I think it’s going to take some time to find out and figure out,” Hafley said Sunday. “Are more bowls gonna cancel? Are teams not gonna be able to play in bowl games?
“Our team 100% deserves a bowl game. It will give us time to get healthy. Get Phil [Jurkovec] back, get those safeties back. It’d be fun to go play one last time with this group with everybody healthy and let it rip one more time.”
Similar to this summer, when BC prepared for a season that many doubted would ever happen, the Eagles now have to stay in shape for a potential postseason game.
In the meantime, speculation is plentiful, and bowl projections are out the wazoo. So, without further ado, here’s a look at what where BC might end up at the end of December.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Tampa Bay, Florida | Dec. 26
After the cancellation of the Sun Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl suddenly appears to be the most popular bowl destination for Hafley’s Eagles. Several outlets have BC playing in Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 26. In the same tier as last year’s Birmingham Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl has recently fielded a host of Group of Five programs. In fact, four of the last five matchups have pitted an AAC team against a Conference USA team. There are hardly normal circumstances this time around, though, so ACC bowl tiers should largely be ignored for 2020.
Projections:
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): BC (6-5) vs. South Carolina (2-8)
The six-win requirement for bowl eligibility was thrown out the window for 2020. As a result, the Eagles could find themselves up against a two- or three-win team like South Carolina. The Gamecocks fired Will Muschamp after a 2-5 start and hired Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer (son of Frank Beamer) to be their next head coach. But Beamer’s rebuild won’t start until 2021. This year’s Gamecocks are giving up 36 points a game and rank 99th in total offense.
USA TODAY (Erick Smith): BC (6-5) vs. Tulsa (6-1)
Tulsa was a quarter away from upsetting then-No. 11 Oklahoma State in a defensive-minded season opener. The Golden Hurricane hasn't lost since. Tulsa has topped an 11th-ranked UCF team as well as a 19th-ranked SMU squad and even used a 21-point fourth quarter comeback—capped by a Hail Mary—to force overtime and ultimately beat Tulane, all while marching to a 6-0 AAC record. It’s set to face No. 7 Cincinnati in the conference title game.
CBS Sports (Jerry Palm): BC (6-5) vs. Memphis (6-3)
There’s been a bit of a drop-off since Mike Norvell departed for Florida State. The Tigers just lost to Tulane by two touchdowns, only squeaked by a three-win Navy team, and, earlier this season, were thrashed by Cincinnati—a ranked opponent they beat twice last year—49-10. Still, Brady White is an exciting veteran quarterback and would certainly test BC’s secondary.
The Athletic (Stewart Mandel): BC (6-5) vs. BYU (9-1)
This is hands-down the most intriguing BC bowl projection. BYU’s lone loss came last week in the “Mormons vs. Mullets” top-20 showdown at Coastal Carolina. The Cougars are 14th in the AP Poll and have an NFL quarterback behind center. Zach Wilson is the second-highest graded FBS signal caller this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Stadium (Brett McMurphy): BC (6-5) vs. Tennessee (2-6)
Like the BC-South Carolina projection, this matchup doesn’t turn heads. Tennessee is a beatable SEC opponent that has fallen off a cliff after a 2-0 start that earned the Volunteers an early No. 14 ranking. Granted Tennessee has played a ridiculously difficult schedule—it’s squared off against the No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 23 teams—the Volunteers scrounged a combined 20 points against Kentucky (4-6) and Arkansas (3-6) and rank 105th in total offense.
Military Bowl Presented by Perspecta Inc.
Annapolis, Maryland | Dec. 28
Since 2014, this postseason game has featured programs from the AAC and ACC. The bowl has included a military academy four times (Navy on three occasions, Air Force once) since its inception. Although North Carolina clobbered Temple in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium last season, AAC and ACC teams have split the event’s last four meetings.
Projections:
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller): BC (6-5) vs. SMU (7-3)
SMU ranks 17th nationally and third in the AAC in scoring offense (38.6 points per game). The Mustangs have reached or eclipsed the 30-point mark in eight of their 10 games this season. SMU got off to a 7-1 start and was ranked as high as 16th in the AP Poll but has lost back-to-back games to Tulsa and East Carolina. This matchup would have shootout potential.
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan): BC (6-5) vs. Navy (3-6)
Navy is on the verge of its second three-win season in the past three years. While the Midshipmen have improved after their embarrassing 55-3 loss to BYU over Labor Day Weekend, they still are last in the AAC in total offense (292.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (18.4 points per game). It would be interesting, however, to see how BC’s defense would fare against Navy’s triple option rushing attack.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Charlotte, North Carolina | Dec. 30
This would be a better draw for BC. At the same level as the Pinstripe Bowl and Sun Bowl, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl is a notable Power Five postseason game played between an ACC team and a program from either the SEC or Big Ten at Bank of America Stadium. It was previously called the Belk Bowl from 2011-19. Two of the event’s last three contests have been decided by one possession, including Kentucky’s dramatic win over Virginia Tech last year.
Projections:
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): BC (6-5) vs. Maryland (2-2)
College Football News: BC (6-5) vs. Maryland (2-2)
In what would be a rematch of the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl, the Eagles would face their former ACC foe. Maryland has had three games canceled this season and has been blown out in two others. The disparity in games played between BC and the Terrapins would be stark, yet there’d certainly be storylines to follow, such as defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and Deon Jones going up against their former program. And there’s always interest with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (brother of Tua) on the other side of the ball.
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
There are still two more weeks left on the ACC schedule, and four conference-affiliated bowls have already been canceled: the Holiday Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Fenway Bowl.
It’s a waiting game for Boston College, which wrapped up its 11-game regular season last weekend at Virginia.
“I think it’s going to take some time to find out and figure out,” Hafley said Sunday. “Are more bowls gonna cancel? Are teams not gonna be able to play in bowl games?
“Our team 100% deserves a bowl game. It will give us time to get healthy. Get Phil [Jurkovec] back, get those safeties back. It’d be fun to go play one last time with this group with everybody healthy and let it rip one more time.”
Similar to this summer, when BC prepared for a season that many doubted would ever happen, the Eagles now have to stay in shape for a potential postseason game.
In the meantime, speculation is plentiful, and bowl projections are out the wazoo. So, without further ado, here’s a look at what where BC might end up at the end of December.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Tampa Bay, Florida | Dec. 26
After the cancellation of the Sun Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl suddenly appears to be the most popular bowl destination for Hafley’s Eagles. Several outlets have BC playing in Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 26. In the same tier as last year’s Birmingham Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl has recently fielded a host of Group of Five programs. In fact, four of the last five matchups have pitted an AAC team against a Conference USA team. There are hardly normal circumstances this time around, though, so ACC bowl tiers should largely be ignored for 2020.
Projections:
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): BC (6-5) vs. South Carolina (2-8)
The six-win requirement for bowl eligibility was thrown out the window for 2020. As a result, the Eagles could find themselves up against a two- or three-win team like South Carolina. The Gamecocks fired Will Muschamp after a 2-5 start and hired Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer (son of Frank Beamer) to be their next head coach. But Beamer’s rebuild won’t start until 2021. This year’s Gamecocks are giving up 36 points a game and rank 99th in total offense.
USA TODAY (Erick Smith): BC (6-5) vs. Tulsa (6-1)
Tulsa was a quarter away from upsetting then-No. 11 Oklahoma State in a defensive-minded season opener. The Golden Hurricane hasn't lost since. Tulsa has topped an 11th-ranked UCF team as well as a 19th-ranked SMU squad and even used a 21-point fourth quarter comeback—capped by a Hail Mary—to force overtime and ultimately beat Tulane, all while marching to a 6-0 AAC record. It’s set to face No. 7 Cincinnati in the conference title game.
CBS Sports (Jerry Palm): BC (6-5) vs. Memphis (6-3)
There’s been a bit of a drop-off since Mike Norvell departed for Florida State. The Tigers just lost to Tulane by two touchdowns, only squeaked by a three-win Navy team, and, earlier this season, were thrashed by Cincinnati—a ranked opponent they beat twice last year—49-10. Still, Brady White is an exciting veteran quarterback and would certainly test BC’s secondary.
The Athletic (Stewart Mandel): BC (6-5) vs. BYU (9-1)
This is hands-down the most intriguing BC bowl projection. BYU’s lone loss came last week in the “Mormons vs. Mullets” top-20 showdown at Coastal Carolina. The Cougars are 14th in the AP Poll and have an NFL quarterback behind center. Zach Wilson is the second-highest graded FBS signal caller this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Stadium (Brett McMurphy): BC (6-5) vs. Tennessee (2-6)
Like the BC-South Carolina projection, this matchup doesn’t turn heads. Tennessee is a beatable SEC opponent that has fallen off a cliff after a 2-0 start that earned the Volunteers an early No. 14 ranking. Granted Tennessee has played a ridiculously difficult schedule—it’s squared off against the No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 23 teams—the Volunteers scrounged a combined 20 points against Kentucky (4-6) and Arkansas (3-6) and rank 105th in total offense.
Military Bowl Presented by Perspecta Inc.
Annapolis, Maryland | Dec. 28
Since 2014, this postseason game has featured programs from the AAC and ACC. The bowl has included a military academy four times (Navy on three occasions, Air Force once) since its inception. Although North Carolina clobbered Temple in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium last season, AAC and ACC teams have split the event’s last four meetings.
Projections:
Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller): BC (6-5) vs. SMU (7-3)
SMU ranks 17th nationally and third in the AAC in scoring offense (38.6 points per game). The Mustangs have reached or eclipsed the 30-point mark in eight of their 10 games this season. SMU got off to a 7-1 start and was ranked as high as 16th in the AP Poll but has lost back-to-back games to Tulsa and East Carolina. This matchup would have shootout potential.
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan): BC (6-5) vs. Navy (3-6)
Navy is on the verge of its second three-win season in the past three years. While the Midshipmen have improved after their embarrassing 55-3 loss to BYU over Labor Day Weekend, they still are last in the AAC in total offense (292.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (18.4 points per game). It would be interesting, however, to see how BC’s defense would fare against Navy’s triple option rushing attack.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Charlotte, North Carolina | Dec. 30
This would be a better draw for BC. At the same level as the Pinstripe Bowl and Sun Bowl, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl is a notable Power Five postseason game played between an ACC team and a program from either the SEC or Big Ten at Bank of America Stadium. It was previously called the Belk Bowl from 2011-19. Two of the event’s last three contests have been decided by one possession, including Kentucky’s dramatic win over Virginia Tech last year.
Projections:
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): BC (6-5) vs. Maryland (2-2)
College Football News: BC (6-5) vs. Maryland (2-2)
In what would be a rematch of the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl, the Eagles would face their former ACC foe. Maryland has had three games canceled this season and has been blown out in two others. The disparity in games played between BC and the Terrapins would be stark, yet there’d certainly be storylines to follow, such as defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and Deon Jones going up against their former program. And there’s always interest with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (brother of Tua) on the other side of the ball.
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