With the exception of Holy Cross , no team has played Boston College more than the Syracuse Orange . The teams first played in 1924 and started playing an annual game in 1961 . In 2004 , the Eagles last year in the Big East , the Orange pulled off a surprising upset that kept the Eagles from going to their first BCS game . BC 's departure from the Big East put the future of the rivalry in doubt . However , the Eagles and the Orange agreed to play an annual out-of-conference game through 2021 . In 2010 , the Eagles won the first meeting between the schools since 2004 by a score of 16 – 7 . In September 2011 , the ACC announced that they had accepted bids by Syracuse and Pitt to become the 13th and 14th members of the ACC . Syracuse 's admission into the ACC in 2013 reignited this storied rivalry . In both school 's final regular season game , Boston College had a chance to return the favor from 2004 , and prevent the 5-6 Orange from becoming bowl-eligible . Despite the Eagles taking a 31-27 lead with nearly 2 minutes and no time-outs remaining , Syracuse managed to score a touchdown with 6 seconds left , sealing the win and their 6th of the season , becoming the 11th ACC bowl-eligible team of the year . The Eagles returned the favor the following year , winning a 28 – 7 contest in Chestnut Hill on senior day
Big East
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Boston College Eagles football