Florida State’s dream of winning back-to-back NCAA titles is still very much alive after a thrilling 30-26 come-from-behind win over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday. They will look to further boost their credentials for the season-ending College Football Playoffs when they face Boston College this coming Saturday in a critical ACC showdown.
Can Florida State extend their record winning streak to 27 games? Or will Boston College put an end to their unbeaten run? Read on for a preview of this crucial matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our NCAA Week 13 previews of Kansas State vs. West Virginia and USC vs. UCLA.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Boston College Eagles vs. Florida State Seminoles Betting Preview
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee
When: Saturday, November 22, 2014, TBA
Line: Boston College Eagles (+20) at Florida State Seminoles (-20) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Boston College Eagles
Boston College’s bye week couldn’t have come at a much opportune time after suffering a 38-19 beating at the hands of Louisville last Saturday. That will give them enough time to prepare for their big showdown with defending NCAA champions Florida State this coming weekend.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]If they are to have a chance against the Seminoles, though, they will need to take care of the football much better. Turnovers were the main reason behind their defeat last week as they committed four costly ones against Louisville. Tyler Murphy was the main culprit as he threw four interceptions in the game which sent the Eagles crashing to their fourth defeat of the season.
After the game, Murphy took all of the blame. He said, “Today falls on me. Any time you have a quarterback that throws four interceptions, you’re not going to have a chance to win.” It won’t get any easier for him this coming Saturday as the Seminoles are 31st in the FBS in turnovers gained with 18 to their name this season.
Still, the Eagles will take heart in the fact that they were able to avoid a catastrophic loss in their last meeting with Florida State. Entering the game as 24-point underdogs, the Eagles kept in step with the Seminoles last year losing by just 14, 48-34. If they are to repeat that feat, though, it is paramount that Murphy rediscovers his dual-threat ways.
He completed just 7 of 15 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown with the aforementioned four picks. What was concerning though was his lackluster ground game where he was limited to a season-low 41 yards. That was still enough, however, to make him the first ACC quarterback to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season since Josh Nesbitt did it for Georgia Tech back in 2009.
He will need to make it a priority to attack Florida State’s defensive line which is only 36th in the FBS in rushing defense with an average of 135.7 yards allowed per game.
The Eagles are 3-1 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the Florida State Seminoles
There’s just no stopping this Florida State team as they once again proved that they are the masters of the late-game comeback with a heart-stopping 30-26 win over rivals Miami on Saturday. Dalton Cook was the hero once again for the Seminoles as his 26-yard touchdown run with 3:06 remaining gave Florida State its first lead of the game, an advantage that they didn’t relinquish.
This was the second time this season that Cook has bailed out Florida State. The first one came against Louisville two weeks ago where the freshman scored two long-scoring runs to spark Florida State’s comeback from 21 points down. Against Miami, the Seminoles found themselves down by 16 but managed to pull off the victory once again, thanks to another patented second-half rally.
In fact, the Seminoles are the first team since UCLA back in 2005 to win at least three games in a single season when trailing by 15 points or more. With the victory, Florida State extended their winning streak to 26 games (an ACC record) and put them right in the mix for the season-ending College Football Playoffs.
They will need to make sure first that they win their remaining two ballgames against Boston College and Florida. Fortunately for the Seminoles, they will play those two games right at their home field. The last time they lost at home was back in November 2012 when Florida defeated them, 37-26, in Rivalry Week.
That team didn’t have Jameis Winston then, though. The sophomore has been spectacular for the Seminoles ever since his arrival to Florida State a year ago. He led the Seminoles to a perfect 14-0 record last year with a championship to boot and has not skipped a beat this season with Florida State going 9-0 in his nine starts this year.
He will fancy his chances of going 24-0 in his career this coming Saturday as he will face a Boston College team that was no match for him last season. He torched the Eagles for 330 yards and four touchdowns on 17 of 27 passing in a 48-34 victory last year.
The Eagles, though, have been a tad better this season, especially with their ground game. The Eagles are 10th in the FBS in rushing offense this season with an impressive 264.0 YPG clip. The Seminoles will need to watch out for Tyler Murphy and Jon Hilliman who have combined for 1,626 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns for the Eagles this season.
The Seminoles are 1-4 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Florida State wins but Boston College covers.
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