Events

BC football opens season with Rutgers — and high expectations

With a couple of All-ACC players, plus an NFL-caliber quarterback, the Eagles appear to be on the ascent.

Boston College signed football coach Jeff Hafley to an extension through 2026 near the end of last season, rewarding him for a program that appears to be making progress back toward contention in the ACC.

By Dave D'Onofrio

2 minutes to read

When the Atlantic Coast Conference released the results of its preseason poll in late July, the team predicted to be at the top came as no surprise. Clemson, the perennial national powerhouse, was picked to win the league again.

But, locally, the most noteworthy aspect of those poll results appeared among the list of other clubs receiving votes: Boston College was predicted by one — albeit of 164 — pollster to be the ACC’s champion when the 2022 season is all said and done.

That may be a bit of a reach for a program that hasn’t finished better than .500 in the conference since 2009, and was 2-6 within the ACC last season, but it nevertheless reflects the budding optimism around the Eagles in Jeff Haffley’s third year as head coach.

In addition to the respect shown the team collectively, BC had three individual players named to the All-ACC preseason team. That included receiver Zay Flowers, cornerback Josh DeBerry, and guard Christian Mahogany — the highly touted pro prospect who’ll miss the coming season after tearing his ACL.

Maybe the most important player fueling the Eagles’ ambitions, though, is quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He’s another player drawing NFL attention, and decided to return to BC as a redshirt senior after an injury-riddled junior campaign. He played 10 games as a sophomore after transferring from Notre Dame.

BC should get a decent test right away from Rutgers, which — as Patriots fans well know — has sent a litany of players to the pros over the past decade-plus. Tickets for the game start at $10 for kids and $15 for adults, with the best seats ranging up to $60 apiece.

That’s affordable, especially when considering what comes later in the season. Big, bad Clemson comes to Alumni Field in October — but for those games the tickets bump up to a minimum of $75. The Louisville visit a week before also goes up in price. Games against Maine and Duke are as cheap as the Rutgers ticket, but both of those are night games.

If you’re looking to take the family to a high-level football game, BC-Rutgers is the fall’s best bet for something affordably priced, conveniently scheduled — and, with this year’s Eagles, talent-laden.