Rutgers Football 2026 Opponent Previews: Boston College

Next up in the opponent preview series is Rutgers’ second game of the season against Boston College. This will be a very intriguing game for the Scarlet Knights for several reasons. The game will be the Eagles’ annual Red Bandanna game in honor of BC alum and hero Welles Crowther and will also take place on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Rutgers also lost 37 alumni in the tragic attacks at the World Trade Center and has honored them in a previous game that took place on the anniversary of 9/11 when they defeated Syracuse 17-7 in 2021.

In addition to that, this will be Rutgers’ first road game of the season, and it will be the most intriguing nonconference matchup. The Knights have been very solid against ACC competition over the past few seasons, including a 22-21 come-from-behind victory the last time they visited Chestnut Hill, opening the 2022 season.

Rutgers will suit up a former Boston College quarterback this year, as Dylan Lonergan, a former Alabama and BC signal-caller, transferred to the Knights this offseason. Whether he will take the field against his former team is to be decided, as AJ Surace and Lonergan are in a quarterback battle that is expected to last through training camp.

With that being said, let us shift our attention to the Boston College Eagles!

Coming Off a 2-10 Season

There is nowhere to go but up for Boston College, as the Eagles very well have been the worst Power Four team in all of college football last year with a 2-10 record. After routing FCS Fordham 66-10, things turned ugly quickly for BC, as they fell to Big Ten bottom-dweller Michigan State in what was a thrilling 42-40 victory for the Spartans in East Lansing.

The Eagles struggled mightily in ACC play as well, not winning a conference game until the season finale against Syracuse. Boston College was blown out by the likes of Pittsburgh and a struggling Clemson team, and suffered a loss to an upstart UConn, although they nearly pulled off a stunning upset of #22 Georgia Tech. The season ended strongly as Boston College found the win column by knocking off lowly Syracuse 34-12.

Roster Breakdown

Despite a strong start, current Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan struggled with consistency and was benched multiple times for Grayson James. This year’s quarterback room looks a bit different as the Eagles are bringing in Saginaw Valley State (DII) transfer Mason McKenzie in the lead spot. McKenzie is a true dual-threat at six-foot-one, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns, winning GLIAC Conference Player of the Year honors in the process.

Behind him, Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson is a former four-star recruit and more of a traditional passer at six-foot-three and 210 pounds. He is expected to back up McKenzie but could push for playing time. The skill positions are also going through an overhaul, with leading rushers Turbo Richard and Jordan McDonald being replaced by former Liberty standout back Evan Dickens and former Maryland rusher Nolan Ray.

Dickens was the nation’s ninth-leading rusher and dominated Conference USA with the Flames, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 121.7 yards per game. He also carried the ball 229 times, good for 14th in the country, and posted seven rushes over 20 yards along with 16 touchdowns. Ray is a more physical back with bigger size, and although he only has 145 carries over three seasons with Maryland, he can step into a rotational role and use his size to bully smaller defenders. He can also catch passes out of the backfield with 22 career receptions, making him an ideal third-down and red zone running back for the Eagles.

Meanwhile, the receiving room looks similar with BC’s top wideouts from last year graduating or transferring out. Their top options are relatively unproven, with UNC transfer Javarius Green, Jaedn Skeete, and Dawson Pough expected to start in the X, Z, and slot spots, respectively. Behind them, the Eagles have intriguing options including Colgate transfer and NJ native Reed Swanson, who took the top off of Patriot League defenses and measures at six-foot-six.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles were not much better than the Knights, finishing 128th in total defense last season. The secondary returns a lot of its top production, with safety KP Price making 94 tackles and recording two interceptions, and the cornerback room is solid.

The Eagles have an improved linebacker room, with Bodie Kahoun (Notre Dame), Justin Medlock (SMU), and Anthony Palano (Washington State) all coming in to fill the two slots in Boston College’s 4-2-5 defense (same as Rutgers). In front of the linebackers, Georgia transfer Kris Jones will likely pair with Harvard’s Alex DeGrieck or Buffalo’s Demetrius Ballard, with the new edge rushing trio looking to improve on a team that produced just ten sacks in its final ten games. The run defense was beyond dreadful last season, and will look to improve behind Florida State transfer defensive tackle KJ Sampson, who stacks up at six-foot-three and 305 pounds.

Schedule and Analysis

Boston College is expected to be improved from last year’s disaster, and Bill O’ Brien has experience turning teams around. Just two years ago, the Eagles stunned Florida State in their season opener following the Seminoles’ perfect season, came down to the wire with #19 Missouri, and upset #21 Syracuse, finishing 7-6 with a close loss to Nebraska in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Eagles open up with a road date at Cincinnati of the Big 12, who is coming off their best season since moving up from the American Conference, finishing 7-6 after a 7-1 start, which saw the Bearcats ranked after knocking off previously unbeaten Iowa State. Despite the fall-off, Cincinnati will be a tough test for Boston College, especially on the road.

After that, the home opener will be massive for the Eagles, as they tend to perform better than their baseline for the Red Bandanna game. They take on FCS Maine in their third game of the season before opening the ACC slate with James Franklin’s Virginia Tech team heading up to Chestnut Hill. The Eagles will take on some of the conference’s top teams, including SMU, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh, while also making trips to Notre Dame and Miami near the end of the season.

Although Rutgers will be the expected road favorites in this contest, do not automatically count out Boston College. That being said, look for the Scarlet Knights to continue their recent dominance in the nonconference and against ACC foes and bring home their second straight win over a Massachusetts-based team to open the 2026 season.

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