Boston College Eagles: Looking back at the 2007 season 10 years later

The 2007 Boston College Eagles on a ride that hadn’t been experienced since the 80’s, and it hasn’t been replicated since either.

2007 was Matt Ryan’s senior season as the quarterback for the Boston College Eagles football program. He went wild that year and propelled himself into the national spotlight, resulting in becoming a #3 overall NFL Draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons. We all know how well his NFL career has gone, but it all started with that 2007 season.

BC was not ranked to begin the season, but they quickly found themselves climbing the rankings early in the year.

Their first game of the season came at home against Wake Forest in a nationally televised game on ABC. With a 38-28 win at Alumni Stadium, the Eagles jumped up to #25 in the AP Poll. This was only the beginning.

The next week, NC State came to Chestnut Hill. Boston College again came out on top with a 37-17 win. Boston College’s offense was passing more than they had previously with Matt Ryan. and the wide-open offense was working. Slowly, you could see the real potential that this Eagles team had. They rose to #19 that week.

A week 3 matchup sent the Eagles to Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta to face the #15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. This would be BC’s first test of the year as two top-20 teams faced off in the ACC. Boston College ended up winning by two scores, with a 24-10 final. Could the Eagles really be a BCS contender!? Well, the AP Poll continued to slide in their favor, as they rose to #12 after the win.

A home game against Army was next on the agenda. The Eagles never let the Black Knights get too close as they coasted to a 37-17 win. The excitement in Boston began to grow, like something I had never experienced with BC before. For the first time in my young life, the Boston College Eagles were relevant in the city.

UMass then came to Alumni Stadium to face the #11 Eagles. Again BC was able to win a game by two scores, this time 24-14. It was honestly a bit closer than many would have thought, but BC got things done and remained undefeated at 5-0. They rose five spots to #6 overall in the country.

Matt Ryan and the Eagles offense exploded in their next game against Bowling Green. Some viewed this as a trap game since BC would be facing Notre Dame the next week. The Eagles must not have viewed it that way though because they soared to a 55-24 win.The W pushed BC up to #4, and even though Notre Dame wasn’t ranked, it was going to be a huge game for the Eagles.

SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 13: L.V. Whitworth /

A struggling Notre Dame team led by Charlie Weis had their hands full with Boston College. In the “Holy War”, BC was able to come out on top though in Indiana. The final score ended up being 27-14, and BC was now #2 in the country. Talks of a BCS Championship game began to buzz around Boston, but a matchup with ACC rival Virginia Tech was looming.

The #9 Hokies hosted the #2 Eagles in one of college football’s biggest games of the season. In front of a huge crowd at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, the teams duked it out in a hard fought battle. The defense was the key all night long, as both offenses struggled to find the end zone. Ultimately, BC ended up with another win (14-10) to improve to 8-0 on the season. The party train would soon come to a screeching halt though.

An unranked Florida State team came into Alumni Stadium for a primetime ABC matchup with Boston College. The Seminoles spoiled the Eagles perfect season, handing them a 27-17 loss. Of course, BC took a step back in the BCS rankings to #8. They were never able to fully recover from this loss. The next week an unranked Maryland team beat BC 42-35. The Eagles now stood at 8-2, and they dropped to #17 in the BCS.

The Eagles had a chance to redeem themselves against #20 Clemson on the road. They did just that. BC was able to eek out a 20-17 win, and although it wouldn’t be enough to bump them back into the top-10, they did move back up to #14. A win over Miami the following week got them to #11 ahead of the ACC Championship Game.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – DECEMBER 1: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor /

The ACC Championship game was a rematch between the Eagles and QB Tyrod Taylor’s Virginia Tech. By now, the Hokies had risen to become the #5 team in the country, and they had a real shot at a National Title Game if they could knock off BC this time around. Sadly for us Eagles fans, they did just that. Virginia Tech beat Boston College handily, 30-16. The loss pushed the Eagles back down in the rankings to #14. Virginia Tech meanwhile, just missed out on playing for a National Title, as the BCS rankings placed them at #3.

More from Chowder and Champions

Boston College still got a solid bowl game out of their 2007 season. The team headed to Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans. They beat MSU 24-21 for their 11th win of the year. BC finished at #11 in the final AP and Coaches Polls.

Still, the thought of what could have been will never leave me. BC had a chance to be great in 2007, but they lost it in the middle of the season to two unranked ACC opponents. If BC had maintained an undefeated record, they likely would have had a shot at the BCS National Championship Game against either Ohio State, Florida, or Michigan. While I don’t think they would have won that title game, it would have been fun to at least see them have a chance.

Matt Ryan has, as you know, gone on to a stellar NFL career. It’s not hard to ponder what could have been for him had he not had the type of success that he did in 2007. That year, he finished with 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns in 14 games. He has continued to succeed in the NFL. Ryan was close to a Super Bowl in 2017 before the New England Patriots stole it away.

Next: 2017 Boston College Football Preview

What are your memories from the Boston College Eagles 2007 season? Do you think they would have been in the National Championship Game if they had avoided those losses to Florida State and Maryland? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @CandCFanSided or @JakChowder!

Home/Boston Sports