Kicking off in the noon ET window of the Week 8 college football slate, the Boston College Eagles will host the Connecticut Huskies. It has been a hectic start to the season with plenty of surprises around the sport. Expected National Title contenders have slipped out of the Top 25 entirely, and several high-profile coaches have already been put on the chopping block. These two teams hold very different outlooks thus far, with Connecticut entering off a 4-2 start while Boston College has slipped to 1-5.
Boston College and Connecticut have faced off 16 times in their programs’ history. UConn has only produced one victory, which occurred in 2022. There have also been two ties to occur, but Boston College has come out on top in 13 games, including their most recent matchup in 2023.
Looking at the odds for this year’s matchup, Boston College enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite and holds -122 odds on winning on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Connecticut holds +102 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 57.5 points.
This article provides a preview of both teams and offers a pick for the Week 8 matchup.
Connecticut vs. Boston College prediction, preview
Connecticut Huskies
The Huskies are off to a 4-2 start to the season and are 2-2-2 against the spread. They started the season with a victory over Central Connecticut before dropping back-to-back games to Syracuse and Delaware, each in overtime. Connecticut enters this matchup riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak over Ball State, Buffalo, and Florida International, and is coming off a bye week last week.
Joe Fagnano stands in at quarterback for the Huskies for his second year as the primary starter. He has taken a stride forward this year, completing 67.2% of his pass attempts for 1,556 yards, 11 touchdowns, and zero interceptions while adding 69 rushing yards and a score with his legs. Skyler Bell leads the team in receiving with 48 receptions for 562 yards and six touchdowns. Reymello Murphy is second on the team with 17 receptions for 221 yards and three scores. The rush attack is headlined by Camryn Edwards, who has 637 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns this year. UConn is averaging 37.0 points per game, which ranks 22nd in the country, and 470.3 total yards of offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskies are conceding 22.7 points per contest, which ranks 58th, and 377.8 total yards of offense. They are allowing 222.8 passing yards through the air and 155.0 rushing yards per game. UConn has scored 50+ points twice already this season, but has allowed 20+ points in three of its six matchups. Byrun Parham leads the team with 47 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. The Huskies have produced 19 total sacks and forced eight turnovers on the season.
Boston College Eagles
It has not been as positive a start to the season for Boston College. The Eagles hold a 1-5 overall record, are 0-3 at home, and 2-4 against the spread. After starting off the season with a 66-10 victory over Fordham, they have dropped five straight games at the hands of Michigan State, Stanford, California, Pittsburgh, and Clemson. They have lost their last two games by a combined margin of 89-17.
Dylan Lonergan headlines the offense at the quarterback position. The Alabama product has completed 67% of his pass attempts for 1,394 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions as well as one touchdown on the ground. Lewis Bond is the team’s leading receiver with 45 receptions for 436 yards, but has yet to find the end zone this year. Jaedn Skeete leads the team with three receiving touchdowns despite having just five receptions on the season. Turbo Richard is the team’s leading rusher with 406 yards on the ground, along with five rushing touchdowns and a pair of scores through the air. Boston College is averaging 27.8 points per game, which ranks 75th in the country, and is producing 368.8 total yards of offense.
The biggest concerns with the team have fallen on the defensive side of the ball. Boston College is allowing 33.2 points per game, which ranks 126th out of 132 qualifying D1 teams. They are allowing 387.7 yards of total offense, including 238.7 passing yards and 149.0 yards on the ground. The Eagles have given up 28+ points in each of their past five losses. Boston College has tallied 11 sacks and forced just six turnovers on the season.
Connecticut vs. Boston College pick, best bet
It has not been an easy schedule to this point, but oddsmakers are giving far too much benefit of the doubt to this Boston College team. The defensive concerns are not going away and, even more concerning, the offense has sputtered in recent weeks. In their past two weeks, opponents have more than doubled their total yardage and tallied nearly twice the time of possession that Boston College has registered. This will be a problem against this Connecticut team, which puts pressure on the quarterback at a high rate. Boston College has also struggled to have a consistent rush attack, averaging just 85.0 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 133rd among FBS teams.
UConn is not a world-beater, but they will have the advantage in the trenches and have done a nice job taking care of the football. To this point, they have just one turnover on the season. Their offense has performed above expectations to this point and has had much more success against teams with more defensive resistance. It is fair to critique their schedule has not been difficult to this point, but they have looked the part of a good football team that is ready for a more significant test.
Forget the historical trends and look at these teams through the lens of this year. Connecticut has been sharper on both sides of the ball and will win the battle at the line of scrimmage consistently. Expect things to get worse before they get better for Bill O’Brien’s squad and for UConn to get the outright win in this matchup with little doubt throughout.
