Boston College Stays Home For Fenway Bowl
Fenway Bowl Betting Lines Have SMU as Large Favorite
The Fenway Bowl kicks off this upcoming Thursday. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:
Money continues to come in on the under in the Fenway Bowl. The total on the game opened at 53.5 points and dropped to 51 fairly quickly. But the over/under is now down to 49 points, possibly due to more bettors realizing the Mustangs are going to have backup quarterback Kevin Jennings under center after starter Preston Stone was injured against Navy.
The Eagles have received a little bit of the late action. The Mustangs opened as 9.5-point favorites and climbed to 11. Boston College has received a little backing, and the line is now down to SMU -10. The Mustangs opened -360 on the money line and the current number is SMU -400, with the Eagles at +320.
There hasn’t been much recent player movement. The players who were planning on entering the transfer portal and not playing in the game did so early. Boston College did list Jalen Cheek as a starting cornerback after he missed the team’s regular-season finale with an NCAAF injury.
The early weather forecast is calling for rain and drizzle Thursday morning. With an 11 a.m. ET kickoff, the game could start in the rain. Winds will be close to 10 mph, with gusts reaching 20 mph. Temperatures will be in the upper-40s.
Now, check out the rest of the Fenway Bowl preview, originally published on December 7:
This is one of two games where an 11-2 team faces a 6-6 team in a college bowl game. The SMU Mustangs are playing Boston College, and the Eagles will certainly have the crowd in their favor. The game has to be a bit of a disappointment for SMU. At 11-2, the Mustangs were thought to be selected by a more prestigious game, according to the college football bowl projections. But SMU is stuck here and will try to make the most of it. Boston College ended the season on a three-game losing streak. The Fenway Bowl betting lines opened SMU -9.5 with a total of 53.5. The lines have moved to SMU -11, and the total is 51.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Mustangs vs Eagles 
Day/Time:
Location: Fenway Stadium, Boston, Mass.
Streaming: ESPN
Mustangs Miss Out on New Year’s Six Game
After their first conference championship in nearly 40 years and an 11-win season, the Mustangs hoped to make the Fiesta Bowl. But the final NCAAF rankings had Liberty No. 23 and SMU at No. 24, giving Liberty the chance to play Oregon. So, SMU will make the trip to Boston instead.
The Mustangs averaged 40.6 points per game against college football teams that allowed 31.4 points on the season. SMU rushed for 183.1 yards per game and threw for 285.6 yards. The Mustangs averaged 6.5 yards per play and needed just 11.5 yards of offense to score a point.
Defensively, SMU is solid, allowing 17.4 points to teams averaging 25.3 points. The Mustangs were tough against the run, allowing just 3.2 yards per carry. The passing defense wasn’t bad, either. SMU holds teams to 188.4 passing yards and 299.8 total yards.
SMU finished 8-5 against the point spread, including a 7-3 ATS record as a favorite, which means the Fenway Bowl betting lines are where the Mustangs excel. The Mustangs were favored by more than 10 points each game. SMU was 6-7 in totals this season.
Departures & Injuries
Kevin Jennings will start for the injured Preston Stone at quarterback. Jennings played in SMU’s conference championship victory over Tulane. The Mustangs have several linemen on both sides of the ball who are currently listed as ‘questionable.’
Eagles Do Enough to Earn Bowl Bid
Boston College isn’t a great football team by any stretch of the imagination. Calling it a good team might be bushing it. But the Eagles are a bowl-bound team, and that can’t be taken away from the win. Teams know they have to win six NCAAF games to become college bowl eligible, and that’s just what the Eagles did.
The Eagles dropped three of their first four games, but did give Florida State perhaps its toughest test of the year. The Seminoles beat Boston College 31-29 as 25.5-point favorites. That game certainly didn’t help Florida State in the polls, although it wasn’t the reason FSU won’t have the right to play for the college championship game. But after their 1-3 start, the Eagles ran off five straight wins to move to 6-3, only to lose the last three games of the year.
Boston College was just 4-8 against the spread this NCAAF season, going 3-4 as an underdog and 1-4 as a favorite. The Eagles were 1-2 ATS when getting double-digits. In totals, Boston College was 8-3-1 in part due to a defense that had problems stopping people.
Boston College’s offense was pretty average, scoring 25 points per game against teams allowing 24.5 points. The Eagles run the ball well, gaining 4.6 yards per carry against teams who allowed 4.3 yards per rush during the season. The passing game averaged 191 yards per game and 6.7 yards per pass attempt.
It was the Boston College defense that gave the team some problems. The Eagles allowed 29.5 points per game to teams that averaged 26.2 points. The pass defense was a little worse than average. But the rushing defense was worse, as teams ran for 5.4 yards per carry and 193.7 yards per game. Because the Eagles were so bad against the run, teams rushed 36 times per game and threw 24.
Departures & Injuries
The Eagles are doing pretty well in keeping players from entering the transfer portal. But Boston College is having some injury issues, with three defensive backs missing the last game. The Eagles also lost starting tight end George Takacs and starting wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe earlier in the year.
Yet Another Eye-Catching, Creative Headline About The Actual Game
Looking at the NCAAF stats, SMU should have no problem winning this game. The Fenway Bowl betting lines tell you that much. But Jennings wasn’t particularly sharp in SMU’s win over Tulane. The defense had a lot more to do with winning that game than the offense.
Boston College will be motivated to be in front of the home fans one final time this season. But it’s hard to say the same for SMU, which lobbied for the New Year’s Six bid to no avail. If the Mustangs don’t show up to play, the Eagles can give them a game.
For NCAAF betting news, college football betting lines, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
