Tension is at its highest—not a lot of Boston College football fans would have guessed head coach Bill O’Brien would be ridiculed this heavily halfway through his second season. 

Sitting at the bottom of the ACC with a 1–7 record, O’Brien’s defense has surrendered the second-most points among all Power Four schools and has yet to beat an FBS opponent. 

The former right-hand man to Bill Belichick and Nick Saban has had nothing but high expectations for the 2025 season, and he has fallen short of them. 

Some of the BC faithful have quickly called for O’Brien’s firing, but an extended head coaching carousel will only contribute to the never-ending cycle of lingering mediocrity in Chestnut Hill. 

The hardest part about rebuilding, though—especially given this is a Power Four school—isn’t the losing. It’s convincing yourself, year after year, that this time, the foundation will hold.

Growing up a Cleveland sports fan, I’m no stranger to an ever-changing roster and front office. The Browns’ 41 different starting quarterbacks and 10 head coaches in the past quarter-century can do a number on a fan’s mental health. 

Since Frank Spaziani took over the Eagles in 2009—one year after back-to-back seasons of top-20 placements in the AP Poll, including a No. 10 finish in 2007—BC has rolled over four head coaches and cracked the Top 25 just twice. In fact, Spaziani’s 2009 season was the last time BC surpassed the eight-win mark.

Spaziani kicked off his coaching campaign with two straight bowl appearances—a 2–10 record in 2012 had him say goodbye. Steve Addazio took over, won BC’s first bowl game in nine years, and added on four other bowl appearances—another 6–6 finish would’ve driven BC fans crazy, though, so to the gutter he went. Jeff Hafley didn’t exactly tackle the “mid” allegations either, never jumping the seven-win hurdle and leaving the Eagles in the dust for Green Bay. 

It’s a simple equation at all levels of football: Consistent coaching equals consistent winning. So why is it so easy for the Eagles’ Catholic counterpart?

Brian Kelly’s 12-year stint with Notre Dame featured five bowl wins, four top-5 finishes, and a national championship appearance in 2012. In his last five years, he never had more than three losses and reestablished the Fighting Irish as a perennial contender after a rough 4–8 record in 2016. 

It seemed Notre Dame would be in for a couple of rebuilding years after moving on from its legendary coach, but instead, current head coach Marcus Freeman walked through the doors and immediately thrived.

Freeman had no head coaching experience before his first game as the interim in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. Now, he has seemingly replicated Kelly’s very impressive resume, already racking up four bowl wins and claiming runner-up in last year’s national championship against Ohio State. 

Was there ever a doubt about Notre Dame football, though? It’s unfortunate to say from the other side of the rivalry, but the Fighting Irish’s program is one of the most famous and expensive programs in the nation. It will always be in contention for high-end bowl games year in and year out. 

O’Brien’s hiring was initially praised as BC’s “saving grace,” especially after its Week 1 win over No. 10 Florida State. And even after yet another 7–6 finish with a bowl loss in year one, there were flashes of promise, especially with the subpar roster he fielded in his first season.

The former Alabama offensive coordinator also pulled in two former four-star recruits from his time with the Crimson Tide through the transfer portal: quarterback Dylan Lonergan and tight end Ty Lockwood. Fast forward to the present day, and one was just demoted to the bench while the other has one reception for 14 yards.

It’s hard to entirely blame O’Brien for the absolute trainwreck that has been the 2025 season, but he’s already taken some of the blame himself. 

“I’ve got to do a better job with the offensive game plan,” O’Brien said after BC’s 48–7 loss to Pittsburgh. “I’ve got to—like I said—I’ve got to coach better. I’ve got to gameplan better. I’ve got to get the players and the coaches to coach and play better. That’s on me.”

There’s no reason to jump the gun on a seasoned coach like O’Brien, though. So let’s get this out of the way: O’Brien should not be fired at the end of the season.

O’Brien is the classic example of a scapegoat—all the ridicule is directed at him when the full structure of the football staff needs to be reevaluated.

Consider defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiasio. I can say comfortably that these guys need their units to perform much stronger to keep their jobs next year. Yes, the run game is iffy and the play-calling has been questionable, but your defense and quarterback are what win games.

Let me bring it back to my Ohio roots as an example. In 2022, C.J. Stroud led the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdowns, cementing himself as a Heisman candidate. That same season, Ohio State couldn’t get over the national championship hump after surrendering 42 and 45 points in its final two games. Its defense finished in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten for yards and points allowed—something not normal for them. 

The very next year, the defense was a different story, allowing 11.2 points per game and the third-fewest total yards per game in the Big Ten. But with Kyle McCord as gunslinger, the offensive drop off was steep, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka at the wideouts. Ohio State’s season ended disappointingly—by its standards—missing the playoffs and putting up three points in the Cotton Bowl.

The Buckeyes finally put it all together in 2024, allowing the fewest total yards in the Big Ten, and quarterback Will Howard led the conference in passing yards and touchdown passes—they ultimately won the national championship with their sturdy defense and calm-and-collected quarterback. Head coach Ryan Day, though faced with ridicule from a harsh fanbase, stayed put through it all and has finally seemed to find the guys that complement him best.

My point is Lewis needs his defense to step up big time. A stronger defense provides more cushion and confidence for whoever the signal caller is on Nov. 1, whether it be Lonergan or Grayson James. And although DiBiasio shouldn’t be condemned for the quarterbacks’ poor play, there’s no reason for BC to be cycling through three guys in the heart of the season. Settle on one and let him go to work.

BC rebrands and rebuilds, coach after coach. Notre Dame doesn’t rebuild with a new coach—it reloads. Instead of criticizing O’Brien, give him the time to structure his staff correctly.

The Holy War will be the biggest game of O’Brien and his staff’s BC career—one that, as of now, is not panning out to be terribly long. 

This game is more than a lopsided rivalry. It’ll be the foremost example of how the only two Catholic programs in the nation have built completely different houses despite sharing the same blueprint. One grows stronger with change, while the other struggles and tanks.

A win changes everything. A sliver of daylight appears not only for O’Brien and co. but also for all of those on the Heights who hope and pray the story changes.