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ServPro First Responders Bowl: Boston College vs. #25 Boise State

Ryan Mayer

As you prepare for your holiday vacation, the schedule of family events that you are obligated to go to is obviously top of mind. Of course seeing family is always a mix of good and bad. So, in case you need a couple hours away, Boston College will be taking on Boise State the day after Christmas. The matchup is intriguing, and we have some thoughts on how things may play out. Oh, by the way, if you're so inclined, there's some advice below in regards to the placing of money on the game.

Spread: Boise State -2.5

Over/Under: 56

This season may end up being viewed as a disappointing one for Steve Addazio and company after they started the year 7-2 and saw a visit from College Gameday prior to their matchup with Clemson. From there, the Eagles lost three straight to end the year and saw themselves tumble from potential Top 25 team down to the middle of the pack. We'll continue to get the bad news out of the way first, as running back A.J. Dillon is questionable for this game after getting injured in the team's final game of the season against Syracuse. Now, for the good news. The Eagles defense was one of the better units in the country, checking in at 28th in S&P+ and were in the top 25 in the country in keeping opponents from finishing drives with touchdowns, allowing just 3.89 points per scoring opportunity this year.

They meet a Boise State team which ranked in the top 50 on offense in that metric, averaging 4.76 points per scoring chance this season. Overall, the Broncos offense was an efficient machine this season, checking in at 18th in S&P+ and scoring at a clip of over 35 points per game. Quarterback Brett Rypien threw for over 3,700 yards with 30 touchdowns, while running back Alexander Mattison topped 1,400 yards on the ground. The defense wasn't quite as strong, but proved to be more than capable of slowing opponents this season.

The good news for Boston College fans is the Eagles have been better as underdogs this season than Boise has been as favorites. B.C. is 2-1 against the spread as an underdog this year while the Broncos are 6-5-1 as favorites. However, in this case, with no A.J. Dillon and covering the spread, meaning we're basically picking the Eagles to win outright, we'll stick with Boise. Boise State -2.5, Under 56

Local Expert Take: Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports Anchor

"Boise State fell in overtime in the snow to Fresno State in the Mountain West conference championship game costing the Broncos a shot at a bigger bowl. Quarterback Brett Rypien and running back Alexander Mattison lead a strong offense. Mattison has really come on in the last two games running for 200 yards in each game and notching four touchdowns. Meanwhile, B.C. finished the season on a disappointing three-game losing skid Steve Addazio's Eagles usually play well in bowl games. Quarterback Anthony Brown and running back A.J. Dillon have been hurt, but if they're healthy the Eagles have a chance of going toe-to-toe with the Broncos. I'll take B.C. in an upset, 34-30."

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