Boston College vs. Nebraska Expert Pick and Prediction – December 28, 2024

BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NEBRASKA EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – December 28, 2024 — For football fans above a certain age, the idea that Nebraska would ever spend seven years in a row without a winning record was as inconceivable as a conference that stretches from New Brunswick, N.J. to Los Angeles.

Of course, both of those things became a reality, with the Cornhuskers finally making their first bowl appearance since 2017 in the first year of the Big Ten Plus Eight. Matt Rhule, as he often does, has things going in the right direction in his second year, as he got the Huskers back to the postseason.

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Boston College, much like Nebraska, is very much happy to be here. The Eagles would like to play in a bowl for the second consecutive year, which is far less certain than you might think. Two of BC’s past four bowl games have been cancelled without completion, as the Eagles saw the 2018 First Responder Bowl wiped out by lightning and the 2021 Military Bowl wiped out by COVID. The Eagles haven’t actually gotten to play in consecutive bowl games since 2017, when they fell to Iowa in the Pinstripe Bowl.

And of course, that’s where BC finds itself back here for this meeting with Iowa’s rival. The Eagles don’t exactly have a great bowl history when they’ve gotten to play, going just 2-7 in their past nine bowls. They did beat SMU in last year’s Fenway Bowl, but that one gets an asterisk because the Eagles were playing four miles from campus. This time, they’re in Yankee territory, which might be less friendly.

The Odds

Kickoff

When: Saturday, December 28 at Noon

Where: Yankee Stadium, New York

TV: ABC

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Boston College vs. Nebraska In-Season Trends

Which Boston College is going to show up? Is it the one who barely escaped Michigan State and Western Kentucky, then lost to both Virginia schools? Or is it the one who closed strong, winning three of four and only losing to SMU and Louisville down the stretch? The Eagles have covered in five straight games, winning outright as an underdog against North Carolina.

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Nebraska’s swoon happened yet again, which is how the Huskers went from 5-2 to 6-6. It started by getting hammered by Indiana in the Hoosiers’ coming-out party, and Nebraska followed by losing to both Los Angeles schools as well as Ohio State. The only win down the stretch came over Wisconsin, which didn’t qualify for a bowl. Strangely enough, the Huskers’ best win turned out to be Colorado, which went from getting embarrassed in Lincoln to one game shy of the Big 12 title game.

Weather

This won’t be pleasant. The worst kind of weather for being outside is cold and rainy, and that’s exactly what New York will offer. It’s going to be 41 degrees with showers, which makes for a miserable experience.

The Difference-Makers

Dylan Raiola has to be smart with the football. He threw 10 interceptions on the year, and one of the biggest issues for the Huskers was his turnovers. That happens with a freshman, and it’s no coincidence that four of the Huskers’ six wins came in games where Raiola didn’t turn the ball over.

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Donovan Ezeiruaku might be considered undersized for the NFL, but he’s blown up passing attacks all year long. Unfortunately for the Eagles, he opted out of the game, so that puts a lot more pressure on Grayson James and the offense.

The Pick

Nebraska probably shouldn’t be favored in this game. Yes, the Huskers are excited to be back in a bowl, but they’re playing a long way from home with a depleted roster. They also did not close well, and they’ve gone through a lot of growing pains.

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BC is tough to pick without Ezeiruaku, but the Eagles have been the more complete team down the stretch. They make more sense here.