W2WF: No. 19 Syracuse

Senior Day is always a conflict of emotion. It's filled with pride in one hand because it's the culmination of a career. It's the capstone after years spent at practice and in the gym. It's the last time a player puts on pads, pulls on a jersey and straps on a helmet in the home locker room. It's an opportunity to honor the sacrifices of parents to drive to those practices and those games, no matter where they were.

The other hand is filled with a melancholy sadness, though, because it's the culmination of a career. Time spent in the locker room is invaluable, and those memories with teammates create and foster relationships nobody outside the room understands. Sacrificing for one another in a team sport creates a second kind of family, and pulling off that jersey for the last time is one of the hardest things any football player can do.

"A lot of work goes into (playing football) and you develop a ton of relationships," former BC quarterback Scott Mutryn tweeted this week. "It's more than what everyone sees on game day; it's the work that leads up to it. Many relationships form and years down the road, you see those faces and it all comes flooding back to you."

Boston College's Senior Day will be especially emotional for this year's class. Head coach Steve Addazio recruited this class in order to build the bedrock foundation of the Eagles' rebuild. He forced this crop of players to play as underprepared freshmen so they could develop over four years' time. That first year produced a 3-9 record because many of the players simply weren't game ready.

Nobody saw that team's potential, and four years later, that class provided the leadership and foundation that helped the Eagles break through on the national stage this year. The student-athletes took new steps each year, first returning the team to a bowl game before springboarding to a Tier I game last year. This year broke BC into the national rankings and brought the brightest of spotlights as the team positioned for a more elite game. Those men in this year's senior class laid those bricks and depart with the program in position for others to take the next step.

"We've spent so much time building this program and painstakingly building it brick-by-brick," head coach Steve Addazio said. "So many of these guys have been instrumental. Everybody is instrumental but these guys have been here through the real bulk of this deal. So I'm really close with these guys. I have such a great appreciation and love for these kids, what they have been able to endure and what they have done."

"It was a great learning experience to prepare me physically and mentally for a game," offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom said. "I'm thankful for those games. I try to carry that to the young guys now, that you never really know when your number's going to be called. You always have to be ready. It's kind of cool to reflect upon the guys that I've played with. It's cool to look back on what we accomplished, from freshman year to now. To build upon it and have the opportunity to have a great year, we're just trying to finish strong."

It will add to the emotion of the day, which is already going to be wild because the opponent is Syracuse. It's a chance to reflect and remember experiences. It's a chance to savor moments while making memories one last time. It's the chance to feel all of the emotion before unloading it all on a hated rival.

"I have a lot of family coming," Lindstrom said. "My mom is probably going to be pretty emotional. Being a local kid, coming to games when I was younger, it hit me while I was walking to practice that this is going to be my last game and our last game as a senior class at Alumni Stadium. It's going to be a pretty special experience."

"It's been a wonderful ride," safety Will Harris said. "I'm just blessed to have been recruited by BC and have been here for four years, have amazing experiences and meet amazing people. We're focused on Syracuse, but it's in the back of our heads, especially the seniors. We leave everything on the field every week but especially for this game, there's a little extra."

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Weekly Storylines

Orange is the New Fast

Syracuse executed one of this season's largest win improvements by going from 4-8 a year ago to 8-3 entering Saturday. It's the third most wins over last season, tied with five other teams who increased by a factor of four. A win over BC would tie the Orange with Cincinnati for the second-largest win improvement this year and would set them up for a run at Georgia Southern's plus-six.

It stems from a very public desire to push the pace on offense. The "Orange is the New Fast" style of play very proudly piles up plays and points in a short amount of time, and it's a reason why Syracuse joins Clemson as the only two ACC offenses averaging over 40 points per game.

But it's not just the lightning-fast passing attack this year. Quarterback Eric Dungey averages 63.5 rushing yards per game, but running back Moe Neal has 790 yards on the ground with only six yards lost the entire season. The duo combine for over 134 yards rushing, providing a lethally-added element to the already-brutal passing game.

"The run game is the run game," Steve Addazio said. "It's tight zone, gap scheme run game, much like we have some different formations. We've seen a lot of this through the year. It's the sideline-to-sideline bubble game coupled with the vertical game."

It's the last challenge for a BC defense that allowed 300 yards passing last week for the first time since NC State. Syracuse will likely attack with its bread-and-butter passing regardless of who plays quarterback, and it will use that to spot in tight, tough runs to gash the defensive line. The defensive linemen will need to hold ground and play on the opposite side of the line, while the defensive backfield will need to play physical and clean to jam receivers from getting open downfield.

"They run a lot of different schemes in the run game and in the throw game," defensive lineman Zach Allen said. "It's going to be a challenge, but we're excited for the challenge to end the season on a high note."

Orange is the New Defense

Syracuse's fast-pace offense built the perception that Dino Babers abandoned defense in favor of a Big 12 or Pac-12 style of play. The defense allowed an average of 38.6 points per game in 2016, and even though it improved by a touchdown-per-game last year, the Orange went from No. 120 to No. 98 overall.

The Orange enter Saturday as one of the best situational defenses in the nation. Production spiked over the course of the entire season, and it enters the BC game with the third-most turnovers, fifth-best third down defense and 11th-most sacks.

"Syracuse's defense is really good," Chris Lindstrom said. "They're having a great season as a team. They're a really good team, well-coached, and they're going to be a real big challenge for us this week."

Defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman rank third and fifth in the league, respectively, in sacks. Ryan Guthrie, Kielan Whitner, Evan Foster and Andrew Armstrong combine for 10 games with 10-plus tackles, the first performances of their respective careers. Andre Cisco has six interceptions, most among FBS freshman and second most in the nation.

"Numbers speak for themselves," Addazio said. "I think they are excellent. They have done a great job with those guys. (It's) kind of like (how) our guys have really developed. Those guys disrupt the flow of the game, without a doubt."

There is a soft spot in Syracuse's rushing defense, which despite improving is still only 72nd in the nation. It's substantially better than two years ago, when it allowed 225 yards per game, but a steadily-improving AJ Dillon should find room to work against a unit allowing an average of 169.2 yards per game.

"I thought he was playing his best ball towards the end of that (FSU) game," Steve Addazio said. "That's where we started seeing some of those runs again of his. Those extra effort, just hard to bring down, punishing style of runs, and I think he was gaining. If something had happened significantly, he would have backtracked a little bit and would have had a little bit of a setback. That can happen, too, and that wasn't the case."

Orange is the New Brand of Rival

Boston College and Syracuse have one of those old-branded rivalries dating back to the 1970s. The two schools fought for the same type of recruit in those days, and the players often knew each other because of the regionalism. College football has since gone more national, which in turn developed different brands and methods to recruiting.

"It seems like lately, not so much," Steve Addazio said of recruiting against Syracuse. "We are heavy into New Jersey. We are heavy into Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Maryland. I think they might dip into Maryland a little bit, and I'm not saying they aren't in these other areas. I can remember when I had this (Northeast) area and I was at Syracuse. It was a battle for the same guys."

Syracuse has approximately a little over one dozen players from the New England, New York and New Jersey areas. It represents how the Orange have gone to a different direction and different style than BC. A rivalry once built by familiarity and regionalism is shifting to one built by a competitive drive on the field. The teams employ different methods of the same up-tempo style, transforming and adding new layers to the only Power Conference rivalry in the New York/New England region.

"When you put the rivalry tag on the game, it sparks players and emotions naturally," Will Harris said. "It'll be what it's meant to be."

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They Said It

"It stings and it hurts. I think this team will do an unbelievable job and play with that extra sting and extra edge because the game is fragile. Coach Addazio always says the game is fragile, and the only thing we can do is focus on Syracuse to stay on top of our game." -Will Harris on the Florida State loss

"I'm so thankful to Coach Addazio to bring Alec in. It's such a unique experience to play with your brother at such a high level. You're still looking at him as a seventh grader, but you're treating him (the same as everyone else) in the room. He was able to ride that journey with me, and he saw what it took. We took a lot of the technique that I was learning and tried to put it on him as a high school kid." -Chris Lindstrom on playing with his brother, Alec

"There are so many of those (tight decisions) in every game. It's crazy, the amount of stuff that goes on. That's why we age so much in a short period of time. Six years might as well be 42. I'm like 100 right now." -Steve Addazio on decision-making

"They do it the old-fashioned way. It's 1950s, 1960s, 1970s football, and you really don't have a chance to beat them unless you go back into their era and play them the way they want to play." -Dino Babers

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Meteorology 101

It was 11 degrees out on Thursday with wind chills well below zero, and I went outside at 8 a.m. to run a Turkey Trot 5K in my hometown. I've never professed to be the most intelligent bulb in the box, and I guess that proves it. To be fair, though, there were 1,500 other people doing it with me, many of which were bundled in far less layers than I had on.

That weather will seem like a lifetime away by the time Saturday kicks off at noon. Temperatures will reach into the 40s over the course of the afternoon, and though there will be a stiff wind, it won't nearly be as bad as it was on Thanksgiving. The football weather gods are cooperating in a big way because it's going to be perfect November weather.

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The Division Race, Explained

Both BC and Syracuse have something to prove for potential bowl games on Saturday. The Eagles were 7-2 and nationally ranked when ESPN arrived in Chestnut Hill, but the two losses dropped the team from the conversation pretty quickly. There's still the chance this weekend to pick up an eighth win, however, which would in turn position the the team for another tough bowl matchup. It would also set the stage for a run at nine wins, which would potentially return the Eagles to the national rankings at season's end.

"When we lost dropped to Clemson, we lost a realistic opportunity for the conference championship," Steve Addazio said. "Now after that, you're just trying to win as many games as you can down the home stretch for the obvious reasons. One, to get as many wins as you can and two, your placement in the postseason. We're still going down that same path right now."

Boston College enters Saturday tied with NC State for third in the Atlantic Division with three league losses, and Syracuse is one game ahead with a 5-2 ACC record. Florida State finished the year 3-5 in conference play and has its nonconference game against Florida this week, so the Eagles can still finish anywhere from second to fourth in the conference. NC State plays North Carolina on Saturday in its ACC finale and have an added 12th game next week against East Carolina after its game against West Virginia was canceled earlier this year.

If BC beats Syracuse, it finishes second if the Tar Heels beat the Wolfpack. NC State would finish with four league losses, so its final record wouldn't matter to the debate between the Eagles and Orange. If NC State wins, it forces a secondary tiebreaker based on overall win percentage because Syracuse beat the Wolfpack, who beat BC. NC State would then clinch second place in the Atlantic Division by beating East Carolina. BC would finish third by virtue of its win over Syracuse.

If East Carolina beats NC State in that finale, though, things get even more chaotic. The next level of tiebreaker is head-to-head record against divisional opponents until there's a winner. Everyone lost to Clemson, defaulting the race to Florida State. Syracuse and NC State beat FSU, so the Eagles finish fourth. Syracuse finishes second in this scenario based on its head-to-head win over the Wolfpack.

BC finishes in fourth place if they lose to the Orange, regardless of what happens in the NC State game.

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Bowl Selection, In One Man's Opinion

The ACC Atlantic Division race becomes critical because of the amount of 7-4 teams in the Coastal Division. Pittsburgh clinched the division with a 6-1 conference record but is tied overall with Georgia Tech, Virginia and Duke. Virginia plays Virginia Tech on Friday afternoon in Blacksburg. Duke hosts Wake Forest on Saturday, and Pittsburgh is at Miami. Georgia Tech is the only team playing out of conference in its annual game against Georgia.

That creates a scenario where up to seven possible teams are vying for five games. Clemson would advance to the College Football Playoff by beating South Carolina this week and Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship. Additionally, Notre Dame is eligible for any ACC bowl as long as it's within one game of the team eligible for the slot, but the Fighting Irish are undefeated and likely headed for the CFP as well. Assuming that happens, there is no obligation by the New Year's Six bowl to pick the next highest ACC team for a game because the Orange Bowl is part of the playoff this year.

The next available bowl for the ACC is the Camping World Bowl held on December 28 in Orlando against the Big 12. After that, Tier One bowls include the Belk Bowl (Charlotte), Music City Bowl (Nashville), Pinstripe Bowl (New York City) and Sun Bowl (El Paso). The Music City Bowl can be swapped for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville) with the Big Ten, but popular assumption is that the ACC won't send a team to the TaxSlayer after using it the last two years.

Representatives from both the Camping World Bowl and Sun Bowl will be in attendance on Saturday. Syracuse should clinch the Camping World Bowl with its ninth win of the season because the Orange would definitively hold the best "non-Clemson record" at 9-3 with a 6-2 ACC conference record, essentially the same as Virginia Tech a year ago.

It is likely very difficult for the Eagles to earn the Camping World Bowl because of the two divisional situations outlined above. All five other teams can finish 8-4, so it would take a perfect storm where everybody loses every game on the matrix. It's possible but improbable.

BC then defaults into Tier One. The Eagles cannot go to the Pinstripe Bowl because they played in New York last year. The Sun Bowl being in attendance on Saturday means they would more likely go to El Paso to play a Pac-12 team with a win over the Orange.

But all of this is pure speculation on my part at this point. Projections across media outlets have the team going to a variety of games, including the Music City Bowl, and a loss to Syracuse could also drop the Eagles out of Tier One if the chips fall correctly. The only way to ensure bowl games going one way or another is to win.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction Time

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and to give thanks continuously. Because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is certainly an important game, but Senior Day is something that takes on a life of its own. I want to properly give some perspective and offer some gratitude to those who sacrificed for the Maroon and Gold.

This senior class helped redefine Boston College football and committed to rebuilding a program during some tough times. The athletes likely formed an opinion and decided to come to BC during a rebuilding process. They went 3-9 in their first year. By the time they left, though, ESPN had visited and BC had tasted the top of the mountain.

There's a beauty in that taste because it sets the tone for years to come. BC went from a last-place team in the ACC Atlantic Division to a nationally-ranked team. The next step is to sustain that elite level. When it happens, it will be built on the foundation by this class. Their success is an homage to the seniors who taught them how to be student-athletes at BC, and the future success will become an homage to them.

I graduated high school over 15 years ago, but I can still vividly remember my last swim race of my senior year. I had been competitively swimming since I was probably five years old when I learned how to swim at the YMCA in Melrose, Massachusetts. My last swim meet happened to be against Melrose High School and was contested at that YMCA. I vividly remember swimming my last lap, giving it everything while simultaneously savoring the fact that it was where it all began. It was incredibly emotional, and I can sit and recall the journey from kid with bubbles on his arms to captain of a high school team.

A college athlete can multiply that by a factor of 100. It means so much more to them than anyone outside the locker room can ever fathom. I hope they all enjoy the moment on Saturday. It's their time, and it's their family's time. All things contributed to their advancement, so we are all grateful for all that they've done.

Players Mentioned

Zach Allen

AJ Dillon

Will Harris

Chris Lindstrom

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