Drama And Intrigue Mounts For Week One Trip to FSU - Boston College Athletics (2024)

The dog days of training camp have come and gone for the Boston College football program.

Twenty physical and grueling practices paved the way on the road togamedayas the Eagles have finally reached the first game week of the Bill O'Brien era. The effort to build on last season's top-25 bowl victory, while going through a period of transition, began with a culture-setting spring season and carried over into a demanding preseason that required a lot of the entire program's roster and staff.

"I think these guys show up every day," said O'Brien of reaching the end of training camp. "Practice is never perfect, [but] there wasn't much that I didn't like about practice. These guys really gave good effort. There's a little bit more excitement in the air, a little bit more of a second wind. After 20 practices of training camp, now they're getting ready for an opponent. So there's definitely an excitement, and we just got to keep this energy throughout the week."

Facing Florida State is always worth a second look to the Atlantic Coast Conference football slate, but the circ*mstances surrounding this week'smatchupadded collective flair to the drama normally associated with the start of the season.Offseasonexpansion and realignment talks kept FSU, in particular, in the national spotlight for a couple of years, and last year's discussion mounted that pressure after an undefeated, Power Five conference champion missed the four-team College Football Playoff because of the perceived weakness of its league.

The Seminoles retained the ACC's automatic bid to the Orange Bowl and highlighted aconversation that continued moving tectonic plates through theoffseason. More unavoidable debates emerged through the summer months, but the overall expansion to a 12-team playoff and the Pac-12's overall collapse kept FSU in the conversation for a possible 2024 national championship run as the defending league champion.

Then came last Saturday's 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech and the fallout leading into the Week Onematchupagainst BC led to various reactions. The conversation intensified, but it didn't change the criticality for facing a team that didn't expect to return home from the Emerald Isle with an 0-1 record.

"We're excited about the opportunity," O'Brien noted. "We know Florida State's a very good team [with a] great coaching staff [and] a great crowd. I've coached down there a number of times when I was at Georgia Tech, so I know it's a tough place to play. But these guys are excited for the opportunity. We can't wait to get down there."

Much of the conversation surrounding FSU centers on last year's team, but the fact remains that this Seminole roster is significantly different from the undefeated conference champion. A new quarterback, new running backs and new wide receivers didn't play together last season, and the departure of the team's top two defensive backs for National Football League headlined the half dozen pro-based departures from the team's overall defensive scheme.

The Eagles return 15 starters for O'Brien's first season with quarterback Thomas Castellanos cemented as the starter entering the season opener. A year ago, Castellanos wowed fans off the bench in week one, earned his first start in week two and produced 400 yards of total offense against the Seminoles in week three to introduce himself to the college football universe on national television. Castellanos, who was one of six captains elected by his teammates, and the BC leadership are ready to hit the ground running against a dangerous game-oneopponent.

"We know what kind of environment it's going to be down there so this week of preparation is going to be huge for us," said center Drew Kendall, another BC captain. "It's going to be a fun environment to play in. It's going to be loud. It's going to be packed. We played down there in 2022 so I feel it will be a similar environment."

For FSU, high-powered transfers replaced the majority of those positions, and the speed bumps along the Cliffs ofMoherlikely won't last much further than the first game of the season. On pure talent, the team is widely considered better than the numbers implied, and gaining less than 300 yards is likely an aberration produced by the first game.

"[Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei] threw about four shots down the field," O'Brien said, "and that's part of their offense. They have a really good offense. They have an explosive offense. They have guys that I know personally in Malik Benson and Roydell Williams - great players who were at Alabama when I was there. They have [over a dozen] transfers, including D.J, [and] he's a hell of a player. He's somebody that I'm very familiar with from when he was at Clemson and Oregon State. He's a great athlete, a big guy, strong arm, very smart. He comes from a great family, and he has all the qualities that you're looking for in a quarterback."

Uiagalelei is miles removed from his first-ever start as a true freshman, but he's still the quarterback who went 30-for-41 for 342 yards passing with three total touchdowns in the 2020 COVID-era game against BC. He later threw for 439 yards in a dramatic overtime loss toNotreDame, and he didn't throw an interception in either game after being thrust into the starting role when Trevor Lawrence unexpectedly received a positive COVID test.

He's paired with a top former top-ranked recruit in Benson and Williams, a new addition to play alongside Lawrence Toafili in an offense needing to replace Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. All were selected in the NFL Draft opposite a defense that lost first round pick Jared Verse, second round pick Braden Fiske andRenardoGreen andJarrionJones in the backfield - both third round picks.

"They have a little thunder and lightning combo at the running back position," said linebacker Kam Arnold. "I played against them for a couple of years. They have pretty good athletes on the outside with the receivers and everything, but I think we're going to have a good game plan against them. I think we're going to be good and ready to go."

Traveling to FSU is a unique piece of playing in the ACC, but the 2024 season is off to the races in providing unmatched drama for the official first week.Amidstthe muggy humidity of a Labor Day Weekend in the Florida Panhandle, the returning team from Boston College unveils how a new coaching staff is planning on using its inherited parts against an 0-1 team that's significantly better than an 0-1 record. A hostile crowd, a national television audience, a sold-out, war-chanting atmosphere - it's all part of the package that finally kicks off on Monday night.

Boston College and No. 10 Florida State kick off the 2024 season on Monday, September 2, at 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen on national television via ESPN with online streaming available through the network's family of Internet and mobile device apps. The game can also be heard on radio via the Boston College Sports Network, locally in Boston viaWEEI93.7 FM with streaming audio via theAudacyapp and Satellite options onSiriusXMchannel 106.