Top 5 matchups for Week 3 of the 2024 college football season
2. No. 24 Boston College vs. No. 6 Missouri – 12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network
A matchup between Boston College and Missouri probably wasn鈥檛 expected to be one of the more intriguing contests of the non-conference schedule, but the Eagles鈥� early emergence under Bill O鈥橞rien has made it just that. Like a couple of the other matchups on this list, these programs don鈥檛 have a long history as they played each other just once in 2021 with Boston College getting a 41-34 victory at home.
The Tigers are more than two-touchdown favorites in the programs鈥� first matchup in Columbia and Missouri has looked fantastic early in 2024 as it continues its rise under Eli Drinkwitz with two shutout victories over Murray State and Buffalo. Boston College will likely be a greater test for Mizzou鈥檚 defense, but the Tigers鈥� offense is also capable of leading them with 82 combined points the past two weeks headlined by stars like quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III 鈥� the latter of whom left with an illness against Buffalo.
Meanwhile, like Missouri last season, Boston College has been a surprise team early in 2024 as it upset Florida State in Tallahassee in Week 1 and followed that up with a dominant 56-0 win over Duquesne. O鈥橞rien already has the Eagles鈥� defense playing incredibly well while the offense is capable of explosive plays behind quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Boston College will need to make some big plays against a stout Missouri defense, but if the Eagles are also up to the task defensively, this could be a low-scoring slugfest that Boston College keeps close.
