The signs that fall is truly in full swing are in affect as the air is starting to have a chill in it, the leaves are turning all across the country, and the lights are coming on for a Thursday night football game at Lane Stadium.

Coming off their two best performances of the season followed by a bye week, Virginia Tech returns home to Lane Stadium to take the Thursday night stage that they built into a premium night for football starting with college and then stolen by the NFL in recent years. Though the NFL may garner of the spotlight, it's still Virginia Tech that owns Thursday nights and will look to add to their rich Thursday night tradition against a Boston College team they've faced off against plenty of times before on a Thursday.

The Hokies still have their eyes set on reaching the ACC Championship even if it's an uphill climb now. Meanwhile, the Eagles are in pursuit of their best season in years and know a win over VT would provide a big boost towards trying to have their first 8+ win season since 2009, something that seems faintly possible even after an upset loss to UVA prior to their bye week.

So with all that in mind, let's dive into our predictions for the Hokies against the Eagles along with all our pregame coverage ahead of this Thursday night showdown.

Tim Thomas

The NFL has tried to steal Thursday nights away from college football and has mostly been successful as both ESPN and FOX have started to shift games that would have been played on Thursday nights to Friday nights. However, Virginia Tech continues to be the leading Power 4 program holding down the Thursday night fort even as the NFL tries to do whatever they can to claim every possible television spot seemingly.

Regardless, Virginia Tech will look to remind the nation that they are the ones who run Thursday nights against a Boston College team that was one of the bigger surprises in the ACC early on before slipping up to UVA just under two weeks ago.

The quarterback matchup is a fascinating one between Kyron Drones, who hasn't had the passing improvement many hoped for, and Thomas Castellanos, who has been way better than expected throwing the football. Things seem to be coming together for Drones and the passing attack though and against a BC defense that just lost one of their starting cornerbacks in Amari Jackson for the season due to a torn ACL, the opportunities will be there for Drones.

Meanwhile, Tech once again faces a solid run defense, as Boston College is allowing only 3.1 yards per carry. However, we've seen Tech step up on the ground for 1.5 of their past two games, averaging over six yards per carry against Miami and then averaging over five yards per carry in the first half against Miami. Expect plenty of Bhayshul Tuten in this game early and often as he continues to build an All-ACC case.

There will be plenty of talk about the star pass rushers in this game with Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Donovan Ezeiruaku, but watch out for Aeneas Peebles who has lived up to the hype since transferring in from Duke and faces an interesting matchup against a BC interior OL that hasn't been great defending the pass this season.

In the end, Virginia Tech is the more talented team and have started playing up to their potential in their past two games. Now that they get to bring that back home in front of a sold out Lane Stadium, I expect the Hokies to take care of business and take down the Eagles, though BC should give them a solid test in what will be the defining stretch of this season for VT.

Pick: Virginia Tech 27, Boston College 17

Miles Jordan

Boston College may be 4-2; however, they have some holes in their armor, which the Hokies can look to exploit. Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos has had an impressive season, but has been proven to struggle under pressure, completing just over 50% of his passes when the defensive line breaks through.

Eagles star cornerback Amari Jackson suffered a torn ACL recently against UVA and is out for the rest of the season. Jackson led the team in pass deflections (5) and recorded 21 tackles and an interception this year. This is a massive loss for the Eagles and presents a significant opportunity for Kyron Drones and his receiving corps to have more quality passing opportunities with the loss of Jackson.

Pair this with the dynamic rushing attack of Bhayshul Tuten, who has 605 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the season, and the Hokies should have a slight advantage over the Eagles' defense.

Finally, besides defeating a 1-5 Florida State in BC’s season opener, the Eagles have struggled on the road this season with both of their losses coming away from Chestnut Hill against Missouri and Virginia, with the Eagles having some struggles against decent competition away from home.

While the Hokies are 1-1 at home, the roaring crowd of Lane Stadium, and a determined Hokies team coming off a dominant win in California will help boost the Hokies to a second-straight victory to get back over .500 on the season.

Pick: Virginia Tech 35, Boston College 20

Tucker Terry

Virginia Tech welcomes Boston College into Lane Stadium for an old school rivalry clash on Thursday Night football, in what is virtually a must win game for both teams to stay near the top of the conference standings.

This game will likely be lower scoring than the Hokies' recent games, as the Eagles have the top scoring defense in the ACC and have a top 25 rushing defense in the nation led by the ACC’s sack leader Donovan Ezeiruaku.

However, they won’t be able to completely stop Virginia Tech’s rushing attack, which is also as dangerous as anyone’s in the conference. With that being said, Kyron Drones is going to have to make plays, and if he can make accurate throws, the Hokies should cruise to a win, against a banged up Thomas Castellanos and Boston College team.

Virginia Tech will pick up a 27 to 17 win on their home field.