Northern Illinois at Boston College Week 1 College Football Matchup Northern Illinois at Boston College Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Sep 2 2023 · Week 1 · 🏟 Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA · Turf · 44,500 cap
Northern Illinois✈ 901 mi+1 hr TZ
27 24
Final
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Northern Illinois
24
NIU +8
Boston College
26
P&R Line Boston College -2.5
P&R Total O/U 50
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Boston College -8 · O/U 50.0
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Boston College -8
O/U 50.0
William Hill (New Jersey)
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Northern Illinois · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
Northern Illinois 2023 Schedule
Northern Illinois's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Northern Illinois at Boston College+8.0W27–2450.0W27–24OY
Sat 9/9Northern Illinois vs Southern Illinois-6.5L11–1458.5L11–14UN
Sat 9/16Northern Illinois at Nebraska+11.5L11–3542.5L11–35ON
Sat 9/23Northern Illinois vs Tulsa-3.5L14–2254.5L14–22UN
Sat 9/30Northern Illinois at Toledo+13.0L33–3548.0L33–35OY
Sat 10/7Northern Illinois at Akron-4.0W55–1442.5W55–14OY
Sat 10/14Northern Illinois vs Ohio+5.5W23–1345.0W23–13UY
Sat 10/21Northern Illinois vs Eastern Michigan-11.5W20–1343.5W20–13UN
— Bye Week —
Tue 10/31Northern Illinois at Central Michigan-3.0L31–3748.0L31–37ON
Tue 11/7Northern Illinois vs Ball State-9.5L17–2043.5L17–20UN
Tue 11/14Northern Illinois vs Western Michigan-4.5W24–055.5W24–0UY
Sat 11/25Northern Illinois at Kent State-20.5W37–2744.5W37–27ON
Sat 12/23Northern Illinois vs Arkansas State+2.5W21–1954.0W21–19UY
Boston College 2023 Schedule
Boston College's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Boston College vs Northern Illinois-8.0L24–2750.0L24–27ON
Sat 9/9Boston College vs Holy Cross-10.0W31–2852.0W31–28ON
Sat 9/16Boston College vs Florida State+25.5L29–3148.0L29–31OY
Sat 9/23Boston College at Louisville+14.0L28–5653.0L28–56ON
Sat 9/30Boston College vs Virginia-5.0W27–2452.5W27–24UN
Sat 10/7Boston College at Army+2.5W27–2447.0W27–24OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/21Boston College at Georgia Tech+5.5W38–2357.0W38–23OY
Sat 10/28Boston College vs UConn-14.5W21–1449.0W21–14UN
Fri 11/3Boston College at Syracuse+3.0W17–1051.0W17–10UY
Sat 11/11Boston College vs Virginia Tech+2.5L22–4848.5L22–48ON
Thu 11/16Boston College at Pittsburgh+1.0L16–2447.0L16–24UN
Fri 11/24Boston College vs Miami+13.5L20–4550.5L20–45ON
Thu 12/28Boston College vs SMU+13.5W23–1449.0W23–14UY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Northern Illinois PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
All 4 Agree
→ Northern Illinois
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
3 Agree
→ Northern Illinois
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Northern Illinois
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Northern Illinois #54
+0.471
Boston College #62
+0.345
Northern Illinois Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #75
+0.690
Boston College #103
+0.341
Northern Illinois Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #120
0.130
Boston College #130
0.117
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Northern Illinois Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #102
+7.809
Boston College #66
+7.320
Northern Illinois Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Northern Illinois #62
+0.854
Boston College #63
+0.830
Northern Illinois Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Northern Illinois #115
72.5
Boston College #94
71.3
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Boston College Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Boston College Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Northern Illinois
-17.9
Boston College
-6.1
Offense Rating
Northern Illinois
8.5
Boston College
10.7
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Northern Illinois
26.4
Boston College
16.8
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Northern Illinois Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Northern Illinois #78
0.00
Boston College #110
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Northern Illinois #24
0.00
Boston College #84
0.00
Northern Illinois +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Northern Illinois Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Northern Illinois #1
0.0
Boston College #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Northern Illinois #87
0.0
Boston College #88
0.0
Northern Illinois +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Boston College, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Northern Illinois
Thomas Hammock #1
18–29 (38%) · Yr 5 at school
OC Eric Eidsness Yr 3 #1
DC Nick Benedetto Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Boston College
Jeff Hafley #1
16–22 (42%) · Yr 4 at school
OC Steve Shimko Yr 1 #1
DC Aazaar Abdul-Rahim Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself