Boston College Football Opens against UMass, Battles Holy Cross, Will Host Miami, Clemson

CHESTNUT HILL – The 2018 home schedule for Boston College football will have no shortage of storylines.

Home games against UMass and Holy Cross to open the season followed later by games against Clemson and Miami at Alumni Stadium are among the seven home games for the Eagles as the school and the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Wednesday. The Eagles have seven home games at Alumni Stadium and face nine opponents who played in a bowl game in 2017.

Boston College returns 16 starters, including nine on offense as the ACC Rookie of the Year AJ Dillon and the entire starting offensive line return next year for the Eagles. BC won five of its last six regular-season games en route to the team’s fourth bowl appearance in five years under head coach Steve Addazio.

The 2018 schedule features four games against teams in the initial ESPN.com 2018 preseason rankings, including visits by No. 2 Clemson and No. 7 Miami to Alumni Stadium.

Boston College begins the 2018 season with a pair of home games against in-state foes as UMass and Holy Cross visit Alumni Stadium. The Minutemen and Eagles start the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 1, when UMass makes its first visit to Chestnut Hill since 2011, a 45-17 BC win. All-time, BC is 21-5 against UMass, including a 26-7 victory in the last meeting at Gillette Stadium in 2016.

Jesuit opponents Boston College and Holy Cross meet again for the first time in 32 years on Saturday, Sept. 8, in Chestnut Hill. Boston College and Holy Cross met 82 times on the gridiron between 1896 and 1986. The 2018 meeting will mark the first football game between the Eagles and Crusaders since a 56-26 BC victory on Nov. 22, 1986, in Worcester, Mass. Boston College has faced Holy Cross more than any opponent in school history and leads the all-time series, 48-31-3.

Atlantic Coast Conference play begins on Thursday, Sept. 13 at Wake Forest. The game will mark the second straight season BC and Wake meet to open conference action. BC is 13-10-2 all-time against the Demon Deacons and won 17-14 in the Eagles’ last visit to Winston-Salem in 2016. The Thursday night primetime matchup against the Demon Deacons is the first Thursday primetime game for BC since Nov. 3, 2011, against Florida State at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles’ last Thursday night ACC road game was the memorable 14-10 win at No. 8 Virginia Tech in 2007 when Matt Ryan threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Andre Callender with 11 seconds remaining.

Non-conference action continues with the first meeting between BC and Purdue on Saturday, Sept. 22, in West Lafayette, Ind. It marks the first time since 2012 – when BC traveled to Northwestern – that the Eagles have played a Big Ten team on the road.

Old BIG EAST foes meet for the first time since 2004 as Temple visits Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 29. Boston College leads the all-time series 28-7-2 versus the Owls, including five straight wins in series play. The last time the two schools met was Nov. 20, 2004, when BC came away with a 34-17 win in Philadelphia. The last meeting at Alumni Stadium was a 33-10 BC victory on Oct. 6, 2001.

ACC play resumes with a road game at NC State on Saturday, Oct. 6. In the last visit to Raleigh in 2016, BC earned a 21-14 win. All-time, BC is 9-6 against the Wolfpack.

The Eagles return home to face Louisville on Saturday, Oct. 13. Last year, BC came away with a 45-42 victory at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium for the team’s first victory in ACC play against Louisville.

After a bye week, BC hosts Miami in primetime on Friday, Oct. 26. The old BIG EAST rivals rekindle a series that began in 1955 as the Hurricanes lead the all-time series 24-5. It marks Miami’s first visit to Chestnut Hill since 2012. The two teams played one of the most memorable games in college football history in 1984 as Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary with no time remaining gave the Eagles a 47-45 victory over the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl.

A trip to Blacksburg against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 3 begins the November slate for the Eagles. The Hokies lead the all-time series 18-8, and BC will look for its first win in Blacksburg since a 33-31 triumph in 2014.

Defending ACC champion Clemson comes to The Heights on Saturday, Nov. 10. In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 28th time with Clemson leading the series 16-9-2. For the 11th time, Boston College and Clemson will play for the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy after the BC Gridiron Club established the award in 2008.

Boston College closes out its 2018 road schedule in Tallahassee against Florida State on Saturday, Nov. 17. The Seminoles lead the series 11-5, but the Eagles won the last game between the two schools – a 35-3 victory at Alumni Stadium last season.

The regular season concludes with Senior Day against rival Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Alumni Stadium. It marks the first time since 2014 the Eagles play a home game to close out the regular season. Boston College rolled to a 42-14 victory in the Carrier Dome in the regular-season finale last season. All-time, Syracuse holds a 31-20 series advantage against the Eagles.

Season tickets are now available for the 2018 season by visiting BCEagles.com or calling 617-552-4622 (GOBC).

Kickoff times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.