5 things to know ahead of Boston College’s football season opener against Cincinnati

For a Boston College football program in desperate need of a reawakening, Saturday’s showdown against Cincinnati represents a clean slate.

The Eagles are, understandably, sick of hearing about last season’s shortcomings. At the same time, they know that talking about how much they have improved from their 2-10 showing in 2025 means nothing. They have to back it up.

“Everybody on the team really feels that,” said BC quarterback Mason McKenzie. “The emotion level is high. But we have to understand that there’s work to be done.”

Saturday’s matchup (3:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium) marks the start of Bill O’Brien’s third season in Chestnut Hill.

Here are five things to know as a new BC season gets underway:

Chasin’ Mason

O’Brien brought in 26 transfers, along with 25 freshmen. which means essentially half the team is new. It starts with McKenzie, a 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound transfer from Division 2 Saginaw Valley State.

O’Brien told McKenzie he would be the starting quarterback during recrutment, and has consistently praised him since.

“I think Mason has had a really good week of preparation, and he’s had a great six months,” O’Brien said. “He’s really worked hard to learn our offense, and we’re fired up about his opportunity that he has.”

McKenzie knows the jump to the Atlantic Coast Conference is a significant one, and he is prioritizing a levelheaded approach.

“You have to have a gunslinger mentality,” McKenzie said. “That’s how I’ve looked at it my whole life. If you make a bad throw, it’s the next one.”

New balance of power

Other key transfers on offense: Liberty running back Evan Dickens, Colgate wide receiver Reed Swanson, North Carolina wide receiver Javarius Green, and Michigan State offensive lineman Kristian Phillips, among others.

On defense, Georgia defensive end Kris Jones, Florida State defensive end KJ Sampson, Washington State linebacker Anthony Palano, and Notre Dame linebacker Bodie Kahoun figure to play a key role.

The staff is also largely new, including defensive coordinator Ted Roof, a longtime friend of O’Brien’s.

“He’s motivated,” Palano said of Roof. “I’m excited to go out there and show everybody what he’s got.”

His call

Another change this season: O’Brien will call offensive plays for the Eagles for the first time.

He did so with the Patriots and at Alabama, among other previous stops.

“I love doing it,” O’Brien said. “I’m comfortable doing it. I have a hands-on role. I have a great offense staff that really helps me a lot, from scripting to game planning to all that. My job is to do a good job of directing it on game day.”

Rocky road

Boston College has posted a 1-4 road record in each of the past two seasons. O’Brien is determined to curb the trend.

“It hasn’t been like we’ve played terribly, but we haven’t played good enough overall,” O’Brien said.

It won’t be an easy opener against a Cincinnati team that started last season 7-1 before losing its final five games. The Bearcats brought in 22 transfers, including 22-year-old Georgia Southern quarterback JC French.

Offensive linemen Joe Cotton and Evan Tengesdahl earned preseason all-Big 12 honors, meaning BC’s revamped defensive line will face formidable foes right away. First-year defensive coordinator Nate Woody joins the staff after a successful stint at Army.

“There’s a lot of unknowns,” O’Brien said. “We have to be really good fundamentally. The coaches have to be really good situationally. We have to know our assignments and then be ready to adapt to what Cincinnati is doing.”

Changing the game

Perhaps the greatest issue for the Eagles last year was that they were regularly on the wrong end of game-changing plays.

“Ball security is huge,” McKenzie said. “It’s the hopes and dreams of Boston College, as Coach O’Brien says.”

BC quarterbacks threw 12 interceptions compared to six for the opposition. The Eagles lost nine fumbles while their opponents lost six. The most jarring stat, though, was sacks: just 17 for Boston College and 35 for opponents.

The Eagles often found themselves in winnable games before they unraveled late in critical spots.

“In every single game, interceptions and turnovers, giving the offense another opportunity to score, is a huge thing,” said BC safety KP Price. “It can change the momentum, change the tide.”