Boston College Faces Early ACC Test Against An Offense That Can Expose Everything

Boston College aims to secure their first road win against SMU in a high-stakes ACC showdown broadcast on The CW.

Boston College will get an early start in Dallas when it takes on SMU on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The ACC announced Monday that the Eagles and Mustangs will kick off at noon ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, with the game airing nationally on The CW.

It will be Boston College’s second conference game of the season and its second road trip, coming after a home date with Virginia Tech in the Eagles’ ACC opener. BC also heads back to a place it hasn’t solved yet, since the Eagles are still looking for their first win in Dallas after dropping both previous road games against SMU.

The matchup comes at a point where Boston College is 2-1, but the record has come with plenty of rough edges. The season opened with a 34-15 loss at Cincinnati, then BC bounced back with a 28-21 win over Rutgers in the Red Bandanna Game.

After that, the Eagles had to sweat out Maine, escaping with a 22-16 win at Alumni Stadium. Through three games, the offense has been inconsistent, the turnovers have been costly, and the Eagles have had trouble putting away teams they should handle.

SMU, meanwhile, is also 2-1 and has another game on deck before Boston College arrives, hosting Missouri State on Sept. 26.

The Mustangs started with a 27-24 road win at Florida State and followed it with a 56-10 rout of UC Davis. Their unbeaten start ended Saturday in a 41-31 loss at No.

23 Louisville. Even in defeat, Kendrick Raphael delivered a big night with 197 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but turnovers and missed chances kept SMU from finishing the comeback.

That offense is still a major problem for BC to solve. Led by Kevin Jennings, who will face BC for the 4th time, SMU has been one of the ACC’s most dangerous attacks, and it figures to put pressure on a Boston College defense that has done a lot of the heavy lifting so far this season.

The series has tilted SMU’s way, with the Mustangs holding a 3-1 edge all-time and winning the last two meetings. Boston College’s lone win came in the 2023 Fenway Bowl, a 23-14 victory powered by a strong rushing attack.

SMU answered with a 38-28 win in Dallas the next season and then rolled to a 45-13 victory at Alumni Stadium in 2025. The teams first met in 1986, when SMU edged out a 31-29 win.

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