Florida State returns home from Ireland looking to bounce back after a shock 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
On Monday night, the Seminoles will host Boston College, which is beginning a new era under coach Bill O'Brien.
The odds remained flat at -10.5 going into the season opener against Georgia Tech, but Florida State's odds have moved up this week from -23.5 early on to -16.5.
In this preview, I will share my plan for how bettors can still recover some value, even at current prices.
Florida State vs Boston College odds
| team | Spread the word | Money Line | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | +16.5 (-110) | +575 | o51.5 (-108) |
| Florida | -16.5 (-110) | -850 | u51.5 (-112) |
Boston University Perspective
When these two teams met last season, Boston College nearly pulled off a victory, losing 31-29 despite being a 27.5-point underdog.
The Seminoles finished the regular season undefeated but missed out on an invitation to the College Football Playoff due to an injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis.
Florida State's 2023 roster was one of the best in school history, considering they had 10 players selected in the draft, just one shy of tying the ACC record set by the school in 2013.
Meanwhile, Boston College returns the 12th-most starters in college football, according to 247 Sports, with seven each on offense and defense and two on special teams.
So while O'Brien is returning to college football after recently serving as the Patriots' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, that doesn't mean there's nothing left for him.
O'Brien is widely regarded as an offensive guru who can energize an Eagles team that ranked 115th in pass play percentage (41.49%) last year under former head coach Steve Addazio.
Florida Outlook
It's been a bit of a struggle for DJ Uiagalelei since he enrolled in college. The California native is playing for his second team in two years after transferring from Clemson University after the 2022 season.
Many thought Uiagalelei would become Clemson's next great quarterback behind Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.
But the redshirt senior has struggled to live up to those lofty expectations.
Uiagalelei is a divisive quarterback, and it's fair to say Seminoles coach Mike Norvell didn't trust him enough to let him play freely against Georgia Tech.
Although Uiagalelei was efficient, completing 19 of 27 pass attempts (70.4%) without an interception, he relied on checkdowns and was unable to force the ball down the field.
He ended up finishing the game with 193 yards passing.
Boston College vs. Florida State Prediction
The Seminoles were heavily downgraded in my power ratings after coming close to a 14-point advantage against Boston College.
Still, I would much prefer the odds to be closer to the opening figure of +23.5.
Therefore, a better option would be to utilize some alternate FanDuel lines by parlaying the Eagles at +21.5 if the game goes over 44.5 points.
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This combination raises the odds to +131.
I was a little harsh in my criticism of Uiagalelei's performance but it's worth noting that he was faced with 20mph winds and rain at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.
Weather in Tallahassee should be clear and winds less than 5 mph will be much more manageable.
I expect both teams to have the offensive firepower to surpass this replacement total.
Pick: Same-game parlay (+131, FanDuel): Boston College +21.5 points | Over 44.5 points
