Boston College (9-3) vs. Navy (9-3)
I figured BC would finally have a down year after struggling in the season opener against Central Michigan, but whoops, turns out CMU's the best team in the MAC. BC was again pretty good this year, and that's been the case pretty much every year. However, there's some actual intrigue coming up with the Eagles as head coach Tom O'Brien has, somewhat surprisingly, left for NC State. The Eagles have gotten it done this year mostly on their defense, #13 in the country scoring-wise but #30 in yardage, and on the arm of QB Matt Ryan, who's thrown for 2700 yards and a 14/8 TD/INT ratio.
Navy is the #1 rushing team in the nation with 327.4 yards a game, and is the only team outside of West Virginia that's even over 230. The Midshipmen run that crazy wishbone option offense, and after a good start, it looked like the season would be sunk after QB Brian Hampton was injured against Rutgers. But since then, backup...alright, here we go...Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada has been fine in relief, going 4-1 as a starter. Things are pretty much the same as they've ever been since things have gotten going under coach Paul Johnson: a lot of rushing yards, and a good number of wins.
The main question here is if Navy can hang. BC has the #13 rush defense in the country at 90.1 yards/game, but, well, they haven't played Navy yet. Still, the Midshipmen can be slowed down. Army held them under 300 yards, as did Massachusetts, while Air Force and hell, even the Notre Dame defense have been able to muffle, if not quiet, the Navy rushing attack. BC could be exposed by a lesser opponent, especially with the coaching in flux, but I don't think Navy has the athletes to hang with the Eagles.
My Pick: Boston College
Confidence (out of 5): 2
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