After three straight weeks in Big East country, Thursday night college football heads back to ACC land this Thanksgiving as Boston College (6-4 ATS) travels south to Miami to face the Hurricanes (3-7 ATS).

Miami RB Javarris James is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. (Getty)

Of course, it wasn’t too many years ago – in fact, just two - that BC at Miami would have been another Big East matchup but that was before the conference realignment that sent the Eagles and Canes to the ACC. This is the first matchup between the schools since joining their new conference.

Those of you with any amount of college football history obviously know that these two schools have hooked up for some classic games in the past.

Without a doubt the most famous is their game of 22 years ago – coincidentally the last time BC beat Miami – when Doug Flutie's last second Hail Mary touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan gave the Eagles a win and wrote one of the greatest finishes in college football history. Many believe that individual play won Flutie the 1984 Heisman Trophy.

That 1984 Boston College squad was able to win 10 games, something that hasn’t happened since. Coach Tom O’Brien would like nothing more than to get the Eagles back to double-digit wins. However, there is much more incentive in this game for the visitors than just simply reaching the 10-win plateau.

Thanks to BC’s win last weekend against Maryland coupled with Virginia Tech’s victory at Wake Forest the Eagles are still very much in the hunt to represent the ACC’s Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship.

The scenario now is pretty simple. If the Eagles can win at Miami and have the Demon Deacons lose at Maryland on Saturday they will play on Dec. 2 in Jacksonville against the Coastal Division champion, Georgia Tech.

The incentive for Miami to win this game is there, but it is much less glamorous.

A win would make the Hurricanes bowl eligible and likely send them to the Dec. 31 MPC Computers Bowl on the “Smurf Turf” in Boise, Idaho.

A loss would send Miami to their first sub-.500 season in nine years and give them their worst record since going 3-7 in 1977.

Either way, there is little doubt this is the end of the road for Coach Larry Coker in Coral Gables as whispers have already begun as to who will fill the vacancy at Miami.

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The only question left is whether the players will find the desire to try to end Coker’s tenure on a positive note or just shut it down for the season.

If last weekend’s result against Virginia is any indication it would appear a season of losses, sideline-clearing brawls, and the shooting death of defensive lineman Bryan Pata have taken every ounce of effort out of the once-proud Miami program. A very average Cavaliers team soundly defeated the Hurricanes, 17-7 in a game where Miami could have been completely shutout were it not for a late and meaningless touchdown.

For Miami to pull off the upset they will need a huge effort from their defense – a unit that is allowing only 15.2 points and 69.8 rushing yards per game. But even the Hurricanes defense seemed lackadaisical against Virginia, as the Cavaliers rushed for 132 yards against a unit that had not allowed an opponent to rush for 100 yards all season. Keep in mind the Virginia rushing attack is ranked 10th in the ACC.

Now the ‘Canes must contend with the number two offense in the league – averaging just shy of 28 points a game - and one that features the top ranked passing attack behind QB Matt Ryan. The Eagles rushing attack is also jelling at the right time as they have gained 365 yards on the ground in their last two games.

Miami will rely on sophomore QB Kirby Freeman to guide its offense in the absence of starter Kyle Wright who was lost for the season two games with a thumb injury. Neither signal caller has had much success putting points on the board as the Hurricanes have been held to fewer than 14 points five times this season. In the last three games Miami has totaled a measly 30 points.

Thanksgiving Thursday Night Factoids:

Miami has won 22 of 25 meetings with Boston College, including all seven since Tom O'Brien became the Eagles' coach.

Boston College junior LB Jolonn Dunbar is questionable with an ankle injury.

Coker is 58-15 in six seasons at Miami.