Introducing a 12-part series in which we rank NC State’s 2021 strength of schedule from the easiest opponent (No. 12) to the most challenging (No. 1).
Checking in at No. 4 is Boston College, the Wolfpack’s sixth opponent this fall.
The Pack is scheduled to face the Eagles in Chestnut Hill on Saturday, Oct. 16 at a time to be announced.
Head Coach: Jeff Hafley (2nd season) — 6-5 (.545)
2020 Record: 6-5
2020 Results:
at Duke — W, 26-6
Texas State — W, 24-21
North Carolina — L, 26-22
Pittsburgh — W, 31-30
at Virginia Tech — L, 40-14
Georgia Tech — W, 48-27
at Clemson — L, 34-28
at Syracuse — W, 16-13
Notre Dame — L, 45-31
Louisville — W, 34-27
at Virginia — L, 43-32
Recruiting Rankings
2017 — 66th
2018 — 71st
2019 — 57th
2020 — 63rd
2021 — 32nd
2020 Season Review
Boston College was ahead of schedule in year one under new head coach Jeff Hafley.
After being picked to finish 13th of 15 teams in the preseason ACC media poll, the Eagles finished tied for sixth in the conference standings with a 6-5 overall record.
BC handled Duke and Texas State to open the season before coming up one two-point conversion short of upsetting then-ranked North Carolina in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles quickly got back on the right track with a thrilling one-point victory over Pittsburgh one week after NC State handed the Panthers their first loss of the 2020 campaign.
Boston College went on to pick up conference wins over Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Louisville. The Eagles also gave Clemson its biggest scare in Death Valley of the season but ultimately fell short in a 34-28 defeat.
Boston College would have ended up in a bowl game had it not announced beforehand it would not accept a bid to the postseason.
Did You Know?
•NC State is 7-10-0 all-time against Boston College. The Wolfpack lost the last meeting in a 45-24 road defeat in 2019.
•Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren is 3-4 against the Eagles during his eight seasons in Raleigh. The Pack has won two of the past three meetings, and its road win over BC in 2015 was the program's first in Chestnut Hill since 1937.
•NC State and Boston College were scheduled to meet in Raleigh in 2020, but the game was canceled after the ACC announced a new schedule with no divisions last season due to COVID-19. Prior to last season, the Wolfpack and the Eagles have met every year since 2005 as divisional foes in the ACC's Atlantic Division.
2021 Preview
With a bulk of its returning production from 2020 back this fall, expectations will be higher for the Eagles in year two under Hafley.
Boston College ranks 47th among FBS teams in terms of overall returning production this season according to ESPN's Bill Connelly's SP+ metric. The Eagles rank 22nd in returning offensive production and 79th in returning production on defense.
Redshirt junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec is the most notable returnee after throwing for the fifth-most passing yards in the ACC last year. The 6-5, 226-pounder completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,558 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also netted 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
After leading rusher David Bailey entered the transfer portal this offseason, graduate running back Travis Levy will be the top returning ball carrier this fall. Levy rushed for 321 yards (3.2 yards per carry) in 2020.
Leading pass-catcher Zay Flowers will also be back. The 5-11, 178-pounder caught 56 balls for 892 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games last season.
On defense, the Eagles lost leading tackler Isaiah McDuffie — who was the second-leading tackler in the ACC last season behind NC State's Payton Wilson — to the NFL Draft, junior defensive back Josh DeBerry will be the top returning tackler. DeBerry had 44 tackles, 2.0 for loss, 6.0 pass breakups, 2.0 forced fumbles, 1.0 fumble recovery and 1.0 interceptions last year.
Why No. 4 In The Countdown?
This list probably ranks Boston College higher than most would, but the Eagles last year should have shown that it's not wise to sleep on the Eagles.
For BC, it starts at the quarterback position. Jurkovec may be the best signal-caller in the ACC this season not named Sam Howell or D'Eriq King. Now in his second season under Hafley, the redshirt junior quarterback should be even better than his already impressive performance in 2020.
The Eagles will have some questions to address on defense after losing its two leading tacklers, McDuffie and linebacker Max Richardson, who combined for 206 tackles last fall. But Hafley is a defensive-minded head coach, and the Eagles will have plenty of young talent to help fill in the gaps after bringing in its highest-ranked recruiting class in the past five seasons this year.
NC State and Boston College have played each other pretty evenly since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, and the fact that this will be a road game for the Pack will make it even tougher. If the Wolfpack wants to sneak up on Clemson and contend for the Atlantic Division, it will likely require a win in Chestnut Hill to make it a two-team race.
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