Angelique S. Chengelis, Madeline Kenney, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Saturday’s Michigan State-Boston College game at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (8 p.m., ACC Network/760 AM).
▶ Angelique S. Chengelis: The Spartans are on the road for the second time this season, and if the Maryland win proved anything, it’s that quarterback Aidan Chiles and receiver Nick Marsh will have to make plenty of good connections if they want to silence the Boston College defense and crowd. No question, MSU needs to run the ball effectively, but that could be difficult against a rush defense that ranks 27th nationally and allows an average of 85.7 yards per game. It can be challenging to avoid making mistakes on the road, but MSU needs — once again — to cut down on penalties. Selection: Boston College, 27-17
▶ Madeline Kenney: Saturday’s game promises to be a physical battle between two teams that have exceeded early-season expectations under their new head coaches. Ultimately, the game could come down to who makes the fewest mistakes, and that could go badly for the Spartans. Boston College has the 15th-fewest penalty yards in the country (78). Michigan State, meanwhile, is among the nation’s worst penalty offenders. The Spartans have reached double-digit penalty yards in three straight games, for a total of 342 penalty yards. If that had happened once or twice, you could write it off as a new team figuring it out. But a third game with double-digit penalty yards? That’s starting to seem like an unfortunate habit. Jonathan Smith and his staff have stressed that those penalty yards are “unacceptable.” But if the Spartans can’t stop making those mistakes, those self-inflicted wounds could finally catch up with them on Saturday. Selection: Boston College, 23-20
▶ John Niyo: A night game on the road against a big-league opponent is never easy. And this is where things get even tougher for Michigan State, as Boston College, under a new head coach, is enjoying the same early-season momentum that the Spartans have this fall. The Eagles embarrassed Florida State in their opener and had a double-digit lead at No. 6 Missouri last week. And with an offense that averages over 200 rushing yards per game and ranks fourth in the nation in passing efficiency, the inexperienced MSU offense may not have much room for error here. Selection: Boston College, 24-19
▶ Bob Wojnowski: Former NFL coach Bill O’Brien has helped Boston College play physical football with two good running backs and a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Thomas Castellanos. The Eagles’ toughness is especially notable on defense, where they completely crushed Florida State 28-13 and sent the Seminoles reeling. Almost as impressive was BC’s 27-21 road loss to undefeated Missouri. The Spartans have already won at Maryland, but this is a bigger challenge, especially for young quarterback Aidan Chiles. Running backs Nate Carter and Kay’ron Lynch-Adams were effective, but will struggle harder here. If the Spartans force a few turnovers, they win. If they don’t… Selection: Boston College, 27-16
