Boston College Looks to Snap Bowl Game Skid Against SMU in Fenway

Boston College Looks to Snap Bowl Game Skid Against SMU in Fenway
Fact Checked by Michael Peters

The second installment of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl kicks off later this month, with the hometown Boston College Eagles making their first postseason appearance since the 2019 Birmingham Bowl.

The 6-6 Eagles reached the Beantown showdown despite losing their final three regular season games against Virginia Tech, Pitt and Miami by a combined 117-58. Thankfully for BC, a five-game winning streak immediately preceded that skid.

Unfortunately for Eagles fans, BC’s 2023 bowl game is not shaping up to be one they’ll want to remember, at least if Massachusetts sports betting oddsmakers are correct. When the Eagles and SMU meet on Dec. 27 on ESPN, they’ll do so with the most lopsided spread in recent BC bowl history.

ESPN BET Massachusetts is among the operators that currently have BC as an 11-point underdog against the Mustangs, who went 11-2 in American Athletic Conference play. The current 11-point spread is the largest the Eagles have faced in any of their last 10 bowl game trips dating back to 2006.

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Boston College ATS in Bowl Games

Year Game Result Spread
2023Fenway BowlTBA BC +11
2019Birmingham BowlCincinnati 38, BC 6 BC +7.5
2017Pinstripe BowlIowa 27, BC 20 BC +2.5
2016Quick Lane BowlBC 36, Maryland 30 BC +1
2014Pinstripe BowlPenn State 31, BC 30, OT BC -3
2013AdvoCare V100 BowlArizona 42, BC 19 BC +7
2010Kraft Fight Hunger BowlNevada 20, BC 13 BC -7.5
2009Emerald BowlUSC 24, BC 13 BC +7
2008Music City BowlVanderbilt 16, BC 14 BC -3.5
2007Champs Sports BowlBC 24, Michigan State 21 BC -5
2006Meineke Car Care BowlBC 25, Navy 24 BC -8


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BC Has Struggled in Bowl Games

The Eagles have won three of the school’s last 10 bowl games dating back to the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl, which BC won over Navy, 25-24. That victory, along with the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl win over Michigan State and the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl victory over Maryland are the lone sweet spots among the postseason games BC has played during the last 17 years.

Conversely, the school’s largest loss was in the 2022 Birmingham Bowl, a 32-point defeat against Cincinnati as a 7.5-point pregame underdog. The next largest was BC’s 42-19 loss to Arizona in the 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl, where the pregame line was +7 for the Eagles.

Boston College’s largest win during that stretch came in 2016 when it beat the Terrapins 36-30 in the Quick Lane Bowl despite being a one-point underdog. Fast forward seven years and coach Jeff Hafley and the Eagles are looking to pull off a similar feat against a red-hot SMU team on Dec. 27. Massachusetts betting apps list BC’s moneyline at +360 and the over/under at 50.5 total points.

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Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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