No. 5 Clemson and Boston College play on Saturday, Oct. 8. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Boston College coach Jeff Hafley has had to wait — longer than usual — for a game like this.

Hafley arrived in Chestnut Hill just before the pandemic, so Alumni Stadium was empty when the Eagles played second-ranked Notre Dame and No. 12 North Carolina in his first season. Top-ranked Clemson was at Death Valley in 2020, and the Eagles also played a weakened Tigers team on the road last year.

So Hafley is looking forward to what could be the first real marquee game of his BC tenure so far: a national TV matchup against No. 5 Clemson on Saturday night, when the Eagles will honor former BC lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

After beating ranked Wake Forest and North Carolina State in back-to-back weeks, Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) could have an open path to the conference title game — and perhaps the College Football Playoff — with No. 22 Syracuse as the only ranked team left on its schedule.

But the Tigers can’t afford to overlook BC (2-3, 1-2) this week and Florida State on Oct. 15. Clemson has beaten the Eagles 13 of the last 14 times, but each of the last two was by six points.

The annual Red Bandanna Game honors Crowther, who was known – and identified afterward – for always wearing a red bandanna. He died in the World Trade Center’s South Tower while helping to rescue others.

The Eagles will wear special uniforms trimmed with a bandanna’s familiar paisley pattern.

When is Clemson-Boston College?

Clemson plays Boston College at 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) Saturday, Oct. 8.

Live stream options

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

Will it be televised?

Clemson and Boston College will be televised on ABC.

Preview

BACK AT BC: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has plenty of memories of playing at Boston College, perhaps none bigger than the first time as the Tigers interim coach in 2008.

C.J. Spiller, who is now the running backs coach, had 242 total yards in a 27-21 victory, just Swinney’s second game in charge.

“If we don’t win that game, I’m probably not here,” said Swinney, in his 14th full season at Clemson. “They’re all big, you don’t realize how big some are until later on down the road.”

Clemson has won both of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s starts against BC, including a 34-28 win in 2020 when Trevor Lawrence was out with COVID-19. It was Uiagalelei’s first career start.

SINGLED OUT: BC’s first win was an uninspiring victory over Maine of the FCS, so beating an ACC opponent in Louisville was a step forward and the individual efforts were recognized.

Flowers was named the conference’s receiver of the week after grabbing five catches for 151 yards and two long scores. He also improvised on a broken play and ran for 22 yards to set up another touchdown.

Flowers is second in BC history with 2,460 receiving yards, one yard more than his former receivers coach Rich Gunnell.

Tackle Chibueze Onwuka was the ACC’s defensive lineman of the week after blocking an extra point in the one-point victory. He also had a career-high nine tackles — two of them for a loss.

GAINING CONFIDENCE: First-year Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter has watched his players make big plays throughout the season — and that’s given him the confidence to call plays without worrying about execution.

An example was Uiagalelei’s 9-yard scoring run from a bootleg formation that sealed things in the fourth quarter against North Carolina State. The Tigers lined up under center — a rarity in their attack — and Uiagalelei faked a handoff to the middle before sprinting out left and untouched toward the end zone.

“I trust those guys out there on the field and they’re giving me a lot of good feedback,” Streeter said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.