Boston College AD Blake James Shares Thoughts on Bill O’Brien’s First Year

The school’s director of athletics spoke on Tuesday in the Pinstripe Bowl press conference.
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The first year of the Bill O’Brien era is almost in the books at The Heights and the season has been a rollercoaster. 

Through the first five weeks of the season, the Eagles bolstered an impressive 4-1 record with wins over Florida State, Duquesne, Michigan State, and Western Kentucky and suffered a sole loss to No. 19 Missouri. The program also spent a week in the AP Top 25 Poll at No. 24 and spent multiple weeks on the cusp of another place in the poll. 

Boston College had a rough October and went winless in the month, losing to Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Louisville which knocked the team out of potential ACC Championship and College Football Playoff contention as it sat at 4-4 on the year. 

However, the Eagles finished their 2024 campaign strong and went 3-1 in their final four games of the year with wins over Syracuse, UNC, and Pitt as well as a close loss to No. 10 SMU to earn them seven regular season wins, an achievement that has not happened since 2018. 

Boston College’s 7-5 record gave the program a bowl bid and it was placed in the Pinstripe Bowl alongside the Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-6, 3-6 B1G), the eighth time the team has been bowl eligible in the past nine seasons. 

Boston College athletic director Blake James spoke on Tuesday during the Pinstripe Bowl press conference and shared his thoughts on O’Brien’s first year. 

“I think it was a great first year,” said James. “To be 7-5, to finish the way that we did, to have this opportunity to play a storied program like Nebraska, we’re building this. Coach O’Brien is building it and I’m gonna continue to do everything I need to do to from my position to give him support that he needs to have this program be one that everyone who has an association with Boston College can be proud of and I think we saw that on the field all 12 weeks this year. We’re looking forward to a game on Dec. 28 in New York against a great University of Nebraska team.”

The Eagles and Cornhuskers will square off in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. Kickoff is set for noon ET on ABC. 

More Football News From Boston College Eagles On SI:

Everything Boston College Football Head Coach Bill O’Brien Said on Selection to Pinstripe Bowl

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Boston College Football to Face Nebraska in Pinstripe Bowl


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Kim Rankin
KIM RANKIN

Kim Rankin is a 2020 graduate of the University of Alabama. She joined On SI in February 2024 covering baseball, softball, football, men’s basketball, and more for BamaCentral, Missouri Tigers On SI, and now Boston College Eagles On SI. She previously worked as the brand manager at Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She has covered a wide variety of events including SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals, and bowl games. Connect with Kim on X/Twitter at @kmrankin1 and follow the site at @BostonCollegeSI.