College Sports
Bill O’Brien and the Boston College football team are coming off a 2-10 season in 2025. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The day after a report said Boston College spent the least on its roster among 68 college football teams, coach Bill O’Brien said he disagreed.
The Athletic on Wednesday published ballpark figures for every program in the Power Four conferences — the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, and Big 12 — that listed BC’s spending at between $8 million and $13 million for the 2026 season.
O’Brien, speaking to local reporters on Thursday, said the number “wasn’t that accurate.” He implied the program spends in the $16 million to $20 million range, on par with fellow ACC schools Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.
“We’re more in the ballpark of I believe it was where Wake [Forest] and Pitt were,” he said. “I think we’re more in that ballpark. I’m not saying we’re the highest. I’m not saying we’re in the middle of the pack. But we’re in that ballpark.”
The Athletic reports the average spending range in the ACC is between $21 million and $25 million, with 11 of the 17 teams spending about $25 million per year or less. Miami, the No. 5 team in the country, is the conference’s outlier — it is reportedly spending between $44 million and $50 million this season, good for sixth-most behind Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, LSU, and Texas A&M. All those programs are ranked in the top 10 in the country except for Oregon (No. 21 after an upset loss to Oklahoma State last week).
O’Brien reiterated that BC made a “full commitment” to sharing revenue with athletes for the 2026 team and beyond, echoing similar statements from athletic director Blake James. In December, James said BC would increase its commitment to the “maximum permissible level.”
O’Brien said Thursday that the program must bolster third-party initiatives to provide additional sources of compensation.
“Those things can come from different entities,” O’Brien said. “It can come from a business. It can come from a booster. We’re working through that as we move forward.”
O’Brien said he’s “all for” players being compensated but that there has to be a limit at some point.
O’Brien also said he agrees with the plan set forth by the Protect College Sports Act, which could come up for a vote in the Senate. The bipartisan legislation looks to cap roster spending, limit excessive transfers, and exempt the NCAA and conferences from antitrust regulations.
“The proverbial toothpaste is out of the tube,” O’Brien said. “How do you cap that? I have no say in that whatsoever.”
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