A game between Boston College and UMass makes all the sense in the world to the New England college football landscape. The two institutions are the only two Football Bowl Subdivision programs residing within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and their mutual history recalls a time when their rivalry predated national television contracts, engorged conferences and online streaming packages.
The teams are natural opponents, but the programs are not the same teams that ran onto the Alumni Stadium field in the 1970s and 1980s. UMass is a decided underdog for its game against BC, and Saturday represents a game where the Eagles simply can't slip if they want to achieve their dreams of a nationally relevant regular season.