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Bill O’Brien denies report on Boston College football spending.
Boston College is college football’s poorest program. At least that’s what data showed in a recent report written by The Athletic.
Head coach Bill O’Brien refuted those claims in a press conference on Thursday. He insists that the Eagles are on the same playing field as ACC rivals.
The Athletic broke down the budgets of all Power 4 programs for the 2026 season. Boston College came in with the lowest spending of any school, and by a rather wide margin.
The Eagles were listed with a range of $8-13 million. They have the only roster listed that possibly falls below the $10 million threshold. The next closest program is Duke, at an estimated $12-16 million.
While O’Brien noted the report’s detail, he suggested that the findings were off.
Boston College spends more than what’s being reported.
Here’s everything Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien said this morning in regard to The Athletic article.
He spoke on the estimate, rev share, Friends of the Heights, and more. pic.twitter.com/Iy2H4uyzVb
— Kim Rankin (@kmrankin1) September 17, 2026
“I know that the number they threw out for The Athletic was not accurate,” O’Brien said.
He suggested that the Eagles were “more in the ballpark” of Wake Forest and Pitt. Those programs came in at $16-20 million, or about twice as much as where Boston College is believed to be.
While that would put the school above Duke as the ACC’s lowest spender, the coach knows there’s still work to be done.
“Boston College made a full commitment to rev-share for this year’s team,” O’Brien said. “That was very much appreciated by us… The next phase for BC is the third-party…
“Those things can come from different entities. It can come from a business. It can come from a booster. We’re working through that as we move forward.”
Boston College is still behind. It’s shown on the field. The Eagles went 2-10 last season. They have not won more than seven games in a season since 2009.
O’Brien does not believe they are the poorest team in college football. He is, however, looking for other ways to make revenue.
In the ACC, that can come with success. The conference has a rev-share model that rewards winning on the field and in the TV ratings.
Given the lack of success over the last few years, the Eagles need some help from donors to boost the program from the spending cellar.
