BC Bulletin

Bill O'Brien's Viral Rant Showcases Passion and a Lack of Excuses: The Rundown

In the press conference heard round the country, Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien gave a passionate example of what college coaching looks like in 2025, for better or worse.
Tanner Marlar|
Boston College's head coach Bill O'Brien reacts during the second quarter in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Boston College's head coach Bill O'Brien reacts during the second quarter in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Boston College Eagles
  1. Wednesday's Schedule
  2. Tuesday's Results
  3. Did You Notice?
  4. On this day in Boston College Eagles History:
  5. Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:
  6. There's More on Boston College On SI:
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Let me take you back in time for a moment.

The year is 2007, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys had just beaten Texas Tech and Mike Leach, a coach who I got to cover extensively for three seasons before his untimely passing, via a final score of 49-45.

Gundy took issue with the way his quarterback was criticized in a newspaper column not all that much unlike this one. What followed was his infamous "I'm a man! I'm 40!" rant. The rest is college football history, even up to as recently as this season, when Gundy was let go from the program he remained loyal to for more than 20 seasons.

Fast forward 11 years to 2018, when Nick Saban had two very talented quarterbacks on his roster in Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. ESPN's Maria Taylor asked Saban about his starting quarterback situation after the team had just easily beaten Louisvile in its season opener.

Now, let's compare those similar media blow-ups to yesterday. When they happened, it was simply written off as coaches being just that - coaches. However, when Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien lit into reporters yesterday, fans characterized it much differently. I'll let you be the judge of their exact feelings.

The replies go on like this forever, but you get the tone here, right? Not many outside of the BC football program are giving much grace in regards to the situation. But O'Brien is a tenured, successful coach with professional experience, right? So, what are the differences between this rant and the others I've mentioned here? The answer is simple - wins.

I don't know how any person — coach, fan, media member, or otherwise — could look at a 1-8 football team in the ACC this year and say, "yep, everything is going to plan." In fact, O'Brien has said himself that he doesn't know how to fix the issues this team has at times.

What fans saw on Tuesday might have been exactly what it seems - a coach who's frustrated with his team's performance and the consequences of said performance. Under most circumstances, he would be forgiven for doing so. However, at 1-8 in year two, those circumstances no longer exist.

They don't exist because of teams like Indiana and second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who just debuted at No. 2 in this year's first College Football Playoff Committee poll. They don't exist because of teams like Texas Tech, who in just one season have positioned themselves to be a Big 12 title contender year in and year out for the foreseeable future. They don't exist because in 2025, others are doing more with either less or comporable amounts in better conferences.

The NIL era has brought on a lot of things. Eventually, I'm sure someone will win a Pulitzer for work regarding the early days of its navigation, this mishandlings within it, and the ramifactions it brought. But if we're going to talk about all that it's done to and for players, we also have to discuss what this era of college football has done to and for coaches.

It's taken away the ability to make excuses. Cignetti made none and is now in the running to bring Indiana a college football championship. And if it's possible at Indiana, it's possible anywhere. Many are starting to see it, with marquee jobs like Penn State, Florida, LSU, and others opening up before we're even halfway through November.

Who knows what happens the rest of the season, but if BC can't find a way to scratch its way to at least a pair of wins in its last three games, I fear this will only be the beginning of tough question for O'Brien and the staff around him.

Here is The Rundown, your daily stop for all Boston College Eagles news, for Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Wednesday's Schedule

Tuesday's Results

There were no athletic events on Tuesday, November 4.

Did You Notice?

Speaking of pride, this weekend marks the annual Red Bandana week for BC football in honor of Welles Crowther.

On this day in Boston College Eagles History:

November 5, 1988: Boston College was flagged 17 times, for 165 yards, both school records, at Tennessee. The host Vols pulled out a 10-7 victory. 

Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:

“The Houston game in the Final Eight [stands out] because that was a game we felt we could win. You know, they were kind of hyped, Houston's team, with Olajuwon and Drexler. But we got beat by free throws. You know, but it was one of those things that you're getting close to the Final Four, and I mean, the eagerness, the ideal of being able to reach that pinnacle would have been great for us. You know, we got close, and the other guys that came after us, they too went, I think, Final Eight.”
John Bagley

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Tanner Marlar
TANNER MARLAR

Tanner Marlar has covered collegiate athletics at the local and national levels for nearly a decade, including at Cowbell Country, Mississippi State On SI and Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. As a former beat writer, Tanner strives to give thought provoking and exciting coverage to readers who want to know the very best current information about their team.

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