Syracuse (4-7, 2-5 Atlantic Coast) tangles with Boston College (6-5, 3-4) Saturday at 12:20 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Last season, the Orange beat the Eagles, 28-20, on the road in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. On Saturday, Syracuse will be fighting though its bowl hopes are no longer alive. Our beat writers weigh in on whether or not Syracuse can knock off the Eagles and end its November-long losing streak.

Tomer Langer (6-5)
Bittersweet
Syracuse 34, Boston College 27

It’s true that Syracuse has looked like an atrocious football team for the last six quarters. Still, there’s something about this game that makes me think the Orange will bounce back. Let’s not forget that SU looked hapless toward the end of last season and then threw up 61 points in the season finale on the road against Pittsburgh. This whole season the Orange has been significantly better at home than on the road (even scoring 43 against Wake Forest in the disappointing loss). What’s different than last year is that, injured starting quarterback Eric Dungey aside, nearly all of this team’s best players (Steve Ishmael, Ervin Philips, Zaire Franklin, Parris Bennett) are seniors who’ll be playing in their final game. I think they’ll ball out one last time and head coach Dino Babers continues his trend of improving his team’s record in Year 2, albeit in a disappointing fashion.

Joe Bloss (6-5)
Nothing matters
Boston College 34, Syracuse 24

Normally I’d say returning home to Dino Babers’ beloved “Loud House” would give SU an edge in this otherwise kinda-close matchup. But even with SU offering $5 tickets for the holiday weekend, Dome Field Advantage won’t offer the same perks it did during SU’s most recent, now-distant October win against then-No. 2 Clemson. The Orange team that looked like a joke in Louisville last week will lose to a BC team that went to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and actually topped UofL earlier in the year. The transitive property doesn’t apply in college football, but SU hasn’t shown any reason why it shouldn’t for this meaningless game. Have a happy offseason.

Matthew Gutierrez (5-6)
End run
Boston College 34, Syracuse 17

A win here would give Syracuse five on the season. That would snap SU’s November losing streak under Dino Babers (currently 0-7) and mark its first five-win season in four years. But since it’s nearly certain that Eric Dungey will not take a snap and Boston College’s strong run game (see: freshman stud A.J. Dillon) will make its presence felt, so the Orange ends the year with its fifth consecutive loss.