Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Boston College Eagles Odds, Picks, Predictions (9/3/22)

Greg Schiano will run it back with his Scarlet Knights, and Rutgers football is starting to be relevant again. Sure, the Scarlet Knights are just 8-14 in the first two seasons under Schiano, but they received a bowl invitation with just five wins after Texas A&M had to pull out of the Gator Bowl.

Schiano returns plenty of production this season, enough to make a real jump in the Big Ten.

But Boston College is laying all the points here, mostly because of solid defense in 2021 and the return of quarterback Phil Jurkovec. The Eagles did make a bowl last season, although it was canceled due to COVID.

Is it too many points? Or perhaps there’s value to be found somewhere else?

Read on for our Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Boston College Eagles odds, picks, and predictions.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Boston College Eagles

The sharp money is on Rutgers and the under, although neither line has moved too much. The total opened north of 50 and has moved down to 48.5.

The last time these two met up was 2019 when BC also closed as 7.5-point favorites. The Eagles beat Rutgers 30-16. That was both Schiano’s and BC’s head coach Jeff Hafley’s first season.

I’m not sure history will repeat itself.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Boston College Eagles Prediction & Pick

I think we’re in for a grinder.

The Scarlet Knights are not a good offense. They couldn’t break 20 points per game last season and barely broke 250 yards. They emphasized a run-first offense but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and were below average in terms of efficiency stats.

The only thing uglier was the passing game. Noah Vedral led an offense that finished 115th in Passing Success Rate and 127th in Passing Explosiveness, throwing seven touchdowns to seven picks in the process.

There is a quarterback battle going on, between redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt and Vedral. If Wimsatt is named the starter, we could see an interesting jump in quarterback play.

Either way, the Scarlet Knights will depend on their defense. They were especially good in Standard Downs, managing to stuff most rushing attacks.

And that’s what they should do to a Boston College offense that is replacing all five of its offensive line starters after finishing 99th in Standard Downs Success Rate last season.

This is going to be a rock fight. I’ll happily play the under down to the mid-40s, and that favors a touchdown-plus dog who has some upside with potentially better quarterback play.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Boston College Eagles Key Matchups

Key Matchup No. 1: Rutgers Front Seven vs Boston College Offensive Line

As mentioned, Boston College is replacing five offensive starters. There still is talent on the BC offensive line, but the turnover could be very scary.

Rutgers was great last year in the front seven, but this defensive line is less experienced and the linebacking core is a question mark. But Schiano is known for crafting unique front seven talents.

We will learn a lot about the trajectory of these teams from this matchup.

Key Matchup No. 2: Phil Jerkovic vs The Rutgers Starting Quarterback

Jerkovic is a good quarterback. He’s athletic, smart, and electric. The Eagles were a totally different team with him under center, averaging 13 fewer points per game when he was sidelined with injury. He can easily burn Schiano’s defense and maybe ruin our two bets.

On the flip side, what will we get out of either Vedral or Wimsatt. Wimsatt is an unknown and Vedral may have improved in the offseason.

Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and these two teams need their stars.