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College football preview 2018: 10 unranked teams most likely to surprise

By Jeremy Morris

Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic Owls. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic Owls. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images /

Under head coach Steve Addazio, Boston College has finished 7-6 the last two seasons and four of the last five.

The 2017 Eagles suffered through some growing pains and frustrations with a handful of true freshman starters. They’re hoping it pays off in 2018 with a handful of talented and experienced young players returning. A.J. Dillon ran for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns so he will come back as a sophomore with no hope for improvement needed. Quarterback Anthony Brown showed flashes of big-play ability in addition to handing the ball off to Dillon in 2017. If he can use play action and become a more consistent passer, the Eagles have a completely different ceiling in 2018.

Boston College is the antithesis of the innovative pass-heavy offense that’s dominated college football in the last several years. They’re not going to space anyone out or throw it all over the field. Instead, expect to see ESPN Classic, I-formation football that feeds Dillon, a 245-pounder at running back, 25-30 carries a game.

Defensively, Boston College was solid in pass defense but vulnerable to downright bad against the run. Both safeties return, both starting cornerbacks are gone and things should improve upfront but depth could be a major concern.

Befitting of Boston College’s greatest (and probably only non-Doug Flutie) tradition, this defense is built on the strength of its linebackers. Connor Strachan, the team’s leading tackler in 2016, missed last season with injuries and returns as a starter in 2018. John Lamot came on later last season as a freshman and looks like an all-time great in the making. Depth and talent will surround them too.

Boston College has a couple of early challenges in Wake Forest and Purdue that they have to be ready for. They’ll see Miami, Virginia Tech and Clemson in a three-game stretch of October into early November. Coming away 1-2 would be huge but is still an unlikely best-case scenario so they’ll need to get wins where they can find them early in the season.