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Boston College football has had some tough times in recent years, and no one knows that more than their head coach. Eagles football coach Bill O'Brien understands that this program hasn't met expectations in the ACC. He appreciates and wants those kinds of challenges.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, it's a motivating factor for me,” O'Brien said, per CBS Sports. “All I hear is what a tough job it is. But Boston College is a very special, unique place to me and my family. I'm from here and when I was a kid, I grew up dreaming of being the head coach at Boston College. I watched Jack Bicknell, I watched Tom Coughlin when I was younger and then Tom O'Brien as I was coaching what they did here.”
Bill O'Brien is preparing for his first year leading the Boston College football program. The Eagles were a power team in the days of the Big East Football Conference, when gunslingers like Glenn Foley and Doug Flutie were leading the offense. After the Eagles left that league for the ACC, it hasn't been smooth sailing. Boston College has not won a division championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference since the 2008 season. Still, Bill O'Brien is confident he can succeed there.
“Every job I've ever had has been tough,” O'Brien added. “I had the Penn State job right after Joe Paterno. I had the Houston Texans job in the National Football League. (Also) working as an assistant in the NFL with the Patriots — those aren't easy jobs.”
Boston College 2024 season outlook
O'Brien certainly has his work cut out for him this season with Boston College football. He takes over the program from Jeff Hafley, who went 22-26 in four seasons. The Eagles did have a winning season in 2023, with a bowl victory in the Fenway Bowl. Interestingly, the Eagles defeated SMU, a school that is joining the ACC. Stanford and California are also joining the conference, so the ACC has become a truly national conference.
That means Boston College football is going to have to step up its travel costs, just to go to games. The league is also going to get a lot more competitive, with three new schools competing for an ACC Championship. The ACC brand has lost some of its luster in football. In 2023, Florida State ran the table in the conference to win the championship, but wasn't selected to participate in the College Football Playoff. It was a truly astonishing move, and the ACC has to build back up its reputation.
Boston College has a tough schedule in O'Brien's first season. The Eagles open the season against Florida State, on September 2. The Eagles also play Missouri from the SEC in non conference play. That will be a very tough game, as Missouri is coming off of a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State. The Eagles also play Michigan State, before tough conference games against North Carolina, Pitt and others.
O'Brien will hopefully be up to the challenge. He has plenty of experience. The veteran coach was an assistant in the ACC for years at Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke. He then went 15-9 over two seasons at Penn State, following the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O'Brien clearly knows how to coach, and he thinks this Boston College football team may surprise some people.
“I actually think we have a good, decent football team and we just need to stay healthy and be ready to go when the season starts,” O'Brien added.
O'Brien also spent time coaching the Houston Texans, in the NFL, before heading to Massachusetts. Eagles fans are certainly hoping the new coach has what it takes to return the team to greatness.
