Exploring BC's Possible Permanent Opponents in Potential 3-5-5 ACC Model

At ACC meetings this week, conference leaders have discussed the future of league scheduling, including the possibility of eliminating divisions as early as 2023, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Fellow ESPN college football reporter David Hale reported Tuesday that Miami Athletic Director Dan Radakovich "says the ACC ADs have largely coalesced around the 3-5-5 scheduling model without decisions and now want to run it past TV partners before any official decisions."

Hale added Radakovich described that process, as well as the selection of permanent ACC opponents, as "closer to the end than the beginning."

The proposed 3-5-5 model would call for all 14 ACC football programs having three permanent conference opponents, while the other five league opponents in the eight-game ACC slate would rotate on and off the schedule every other year.

Thamel reported Monday that this model wouldn't require pods, giving programs more flexibility in selecting permanent partners.

The idea is that the traditional ACC schedule has grown stale, and that there are more fruitful crossover matchups to be had with the 3-5-5 model.

Without further ado, let's explore some possible permanent opponents for BC.

This one feels like a lock. Syracuse is the closest school to BC, in terms of proximity. Not only that, but the programs have rich history. They were both founding members of the Big East, and they've played each other 54 times. The only other team BC's faced more often is Holy Cross.

The Eagles first played Syracuse on Oct. 18, 1924, and the programs went head-to-head annually from 1971-2004. A new streak started in 2013 when Syracuse moved to the ACC and joined BC in the Atlantic Division.

Virginia Tech is currently the lone permanent crossover opponent on the Eagles' schedule. Even though the Hokies are in the Coastal Division, BC plays them every year. The Eagles' two ACC Championship games were played against Virginia Tech, and one of their best moments in the conference came in 2007 when Matt Ryan threw two touchdowns in the final 2:11 to erase a 10-point fourth quarter deficit, leading then-No. 2 BC to a come-from-behind victory in Blacksburg.

Before squaring off in ACC play, the Eagles and Hokies tussled in Big East competition. Virginia Tech moved to the ACC in 2003. The Eagles jumped ship for the league in 2004.

Similar to Syracuse, Pitt is a regional foe with Big East ties. It's really wild to think about how BC has played the Panthers only three times since both programs have been in the ACC. And one of those matchups was the byproduct of a COVID-19-affected schedule. Pitt and BC overlapped in the Big East from 1991-2004. During that span, the programs met 13 times, playing every year except 1992. BC won eight of those 13 matchups.

BC doesn't have many ACC "rivalries," and Clemson is one of them.

The programs play for the O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy every year, honoring a series that started with the 1940 Cotton Bowl and continued through the 40s and 50s. Clemson has owned this series of late, winning 11 straight matchups, but there's history there. Plus, the last few meetings have gone down to the wire, and Clemson always draws fans to Alumni Stadium.

Are you liking the Big East theme? Well, if so, then you'll probably want Miami as one of BC's three permanent ACC opponents. The Hurricanes played BC 13 times from 1990-2003. They won each of those matchups. Miami leads the series, 24-6. BC claimed the programs' most recent meeting: a 27-14 Red Bandana Game win in 2018.

Of course, the "Hail Flutie Game" occurred in Flutie's 1984 Heisman Trophy season. Flutie connected with wide receiver Gerard Phelan on a last-second Hail Mary to give BC the win. At the time, both programs were independents.

Wake Forest is the most comparable ACC school to BC, at least when you look at enrollment size. The Eagles and Demon Deacons are both in the Atlantic Division. And, over the past decade especially, they've had quite a competitive series. Wake Forest has won six of the last 10 matchups, but the road team has won each of the last seven contests.

That said, it wouldn't be surprising to the see the North Carolina schools grouped together.