I do not believe Florida State's defense is as bad as it looked in Ireland and expect a bounceback against a BC team that may try to pound square pegs into round holes on offense. At the same time, I'm not high on an FSU OL down its starting right tackle, either.

Has FSU slipped from last season? Were the Seminoles that good to begin with a year ago. Everything that could go right did go right for FSU last year, up until a late-season injury to QB Jordan Travis, and everything coming unglued in the Orange Bowl vs. Georgia But our suspicions might have been confirmed in the opening loss vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin, with new QB DJ Uigaleilei disappointing as he has for most of his career )Clemson and Oregon State) Mind, this matchup was tight last season (31-29 Noles), and new Eagles HC Bill O'Brien has inherited some weaponry on offense, including livewire QB Thomas Castellanos, who moves even better than Georgia Tech's Haynes King, who often bedeviled FSU last week. Play BC

The shocking thing about the Seminoles' season-opening loss to Georgia Tech was that it was not a fluke. Florida State didn't turn the ball over and committed only one penalty but still lost to a team with a veteran offensive line and a playmaking quarterback. Boston College is another such team, with 105 career starts on the offensive line and quarterback Thomas Castellanos. As the season opener showed, the Seminoles lack that continuity on the offensive line, and QB DJ Uiagalelei isn't a world-beater. Give me the Eagles.

What will potentially give the Noles fits in this game will be Eagles QB Thomas Castellanos. The dual-threat playmaker gave them fits last season and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Obviously I expect FSU to make some run fit adjustments in preparation for this matchup, but the run game is where BC thrives; what will be the X-Factor is Bill O'Brien's impact on Castellanos in the passing game, which is still the unknown to the Noles.