SMU sits at 8-1 (5-0) following their third and final bye week of the season. After some chaos in the ACC in week 11, the Mustangs sit all alone at the top of the ACC standings. SMU’s next challenge comes against a familiar foe: the Boston College Eagles. SMU will face BC for the second time since announcing their move to the ACC. The first meeting came in December when the Eagles got the best of the Mustangs in the Fenway Wasabi Bowl in a near hurricane and mud-ridden affair.

Although BC beat SMU 21-10 in the last meeting, much has changed since then. For starters, SMU is now officially a full member of the ACC and has not lost a conference game since joining. One new development ahead of the big rematch on Saturday is Boston College (who sits at 5-4 on the season) will be without veteran quarterback, Thomas Castellanos. Castellanos caused the SMU defense numerous problems last year. Even though Castellanos isn’t having a poor season, first-year head coach Bill O’Brien decided it was time to make a change at QB earlier this week. O’Brien announced to the media that Castellanos would no longer be the starting QB for the Eagles on Tuesday, and subsequently, Castellanos decided to step away from the team.

For Boston College, in comes Grayson James. The junior quarterback from Duncanville, Texas (less than 15 miles from SMU’s campus) has limited game time at BC but has looked sharp when given opportunities. In his lone start against Western Kentucky, James went 19-32 for 168 with one touchdown and one interception. SMU now has days to prepare for the change at quarterback, and I expect the SMU defense to be ready.

The Mustangs are one of the best in the country at stopping the run, so forcing Boston College to become a one-dimensional passing offense should put Grayson James under a lot of pressure. The only problem is the SMU D-line could be without a key contributor Elijah Roberts. Roberts hurt his hand during the game against Pitt and even after the bye week, Roberts is still questionable heading into Saturday’s game.

For the SMU offense, they just need to stick to what’s been working. Brashard Smith continues to be relentless when running the football. Smith should see his usual 20-25 touches against BC and he will make them count. Coach Lashlee announced that Jake Bailey will be a game-time decision. If Jake can get back on the field, it will be a huge addition to the receiving group that’s becoming thinner by the week. If not, Jennings will rely on Jordan Hudson, Keyshawn Smith, and Matthew Hibner, among others to get the job done on Saturday.

Lastly, SMU will be wearing their black jerseys on Saturday as they aim for revenge against Boston College. Not only is SMU looking to get one over BC, but they will also try to prove to the CFP that they were disrespected in the latest rankings. SMU dropped one spot to #14 during their bye week. The Mustangs are 2-0 overall when wearing these jerseys and will look to keep the streak alive against the Eagles. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. With a win, SMU would be one step closer to securing a spot in the ACC Championship game and retain their lead at the top of the conference standings.