The primary, fiercest athletic and traditional collegiate rival for Boston College is the University of Notre Dame, with whom they contest a high-profile annual intersectional rivalry. Matches between the Eagles and the Fighting Irish capture intense national attention, carrying deep historical significance as two of the most prominent Catholic universities playing major-conference athletics in the United States. Additionally, Boston College maintains heated regional sports rivalries within the Atlantic Coast Conference against institutions like Syracuse and Virginia Tech, but the iconic annual battle against Notre Dame remains the definitive historic rivalry for the Boston College community.