The Virginia Tech Hokies (4-4) travel to Chestnut Hill for the rare Friday college football game to face the Boston College Eagles (4-4). What’s unique about this Friday’s game is it’s the second time the Hokies play on Friday night in 2021.

Virginia Tech hopes the same result occurs on Friday as the last time Tech played on Friday in the season-opening 17-10 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Anytime these two teams meet, you can generally expect a close game. I would expect the same on Friday. Boston College lost quarterback Phil Jurkovec early in the season and it hasn’t been the same. The Eagles had raised expectations entering 2021.

So, who wins this game?

Here are the Gobbler Country staff predictions for Virginia Tech at Boston College.

Bryan Manning

Virginia Tech’s offense has looked like a different unit the last two weeks. Is that a new trend or the result of bad opposition? I would lean more toward the quality of competition, but one thing is certain and that’s freshman running back Malachi Thomas. He’s the real deal. It’s no coincidence the offense has improved with his insertion into the lineup.

I like Boston College’s team. Jeff Hafley is a good coach and I don’t expect BC to be able to keep him around long. I never like when the Hokies travel to Chestnut Hill. Sure, Tech has won its share, but there are also some ugly memories there. The most recent was the season opener in 2019 when former VT quarterback Ryan Willis couldn’t keep the football away from Boston College, leading to a win for the Eagles.

Do I think that happens on Friday?

Again, I believe this is another close game where the Hokies can move the ball. So, I think Virginia Tech will pick up its second consecutive win.

Virginia Tech 27, Boston College 17

Joe Roy-Stewart

What can I say about these Hokies? Well, the running game seems to have found a spark, the passing game seems to have slightly improved, and the defense has slightly regressed.

Last weeks game against Georgia Tech was a step in the right direction, with both sides playing somewhat complementary football. Virginia Tech was even able to hold on to a lead, amazing!

The one thing that seems to get overlooked with how the Hokies have been playing is they have been able to keep the turnovers to a minimum. Braxton has only tossed 3 INTs all season. This is of course balanced by the fact he only has 10 TDs with 8 in the air.

Boston College is, luckily for the Hokies, in freefall. Besides a now shocking win over Missouri, the Eagles have been unable to put the pieces back together since Phil Jurkovec went down earlier this season. Dennis Grosel is finding it very difficult to fill the shoes of Phil missing wide open receivers on a consistent basis.

The Hokies are a much better team on paper, but they keep it close because of course they do. 24-14 Virginia Tech.

Jay Johnson

If there is one team who is less satisfied with their season’s conference performance, it is the Boston College Eagles. With only 40-points scored against ACC foes they have the worst scoring conference offense in the Atlantic and the Coastal, and they have yet to collect a conference win. Duke barely edges ahead with 41 points scored against the ACC. 14 is the highest point total BC has managed during their four-game losing streak, and last week’s six-point effort against Syracuse was their worst yet. Allowing 172.9 YPG, the Eagles’ rushing defense, like VT’s, finds itself in the lower half of the FBS. Their passing defense is much stouter with 174.0 YPG, which is good enough to be in the top-20 of the nation. This matchup lines up nicely for the Hokie’s emerging RB, Malachi Thomas. Couple that with a BC offense that will struggle to score, and I think the Hokies extend the Eagles’ losing streak to five games.

24-13, Virginia Tech

John Schneider

Chestnut Hill usually is an October destination. Most BC - Tech games have been scheduled earlier in the season. BC is not in great shape this season, and they know it. With nominal starter Bill Jurkovec out for the season, their offense has struggled to put any sort of quality drive on the board. Their defense is keeping them in games, and it has its limitations. If that sounds ominous for them, it might just be a squeeze of lime in the tonic for us. That’s because our offense has been brutally inconsistent, and our defense very good, but on the field too much. Barring any weird breakdowns or strange events like BC getting their backs up and their freshman QB finding his feet (it would happen against us, this evening... trust me) Virginia Tech should walk away with a win. The spread might be accurate at the current hovering around 3, and the O/U around 50 again, but the Virginia Tech defense might get a chance to check in with some points. I’m thinking that we beat the spread, and break north of a 50 point O/U, slightly, with some fits and starts. 31-20 Hokies