How can Boston College football survive in a pay-for-play NCAA?

Boston College has “kind of plateaued at seven wins, six wins,” the reporter noted. No one protested the thought. “Can BC win the ACC,” he continued, “and make the playoffs, and win a national championship?”

A what? Here?

The Eagles have had trouble keeping fans in the seats for all four quarters at Alumni Stadium, much less challenging for a spot in the expanded college football playoff. What would make anyone think they’re about to start dropping elbows on the superheavyweights of the sport?

“BC –” O’Brien began, and paused as the room broke out into laughter. A national championship. Good one.

“Tomorrow,” a wise guy cracked.

What was O’Brien supposed to say? Boston College hasn’t won nine games since 2008. They haven’t gone above .500 in the ACC since 2009. Since 2008, they are 3-40 against ranked opponents, and only 12 of those losses finished closer than two scores.

No doubt BC football is accomplishing its baseline goals of pride, hard work, and community service. The Eagles even won a bowl game last year, for the second time since 2007. But this is a college football world that has left programs like it in the dust.

A new era

The NCAA’s amateurism model is eroding. Pay for play is here. The transfer portal and name, image, and likeness collective system have brought free agency. Players could soon be considered employees, should the courts continue to rule in favor of unionization efforts at Dartmouth. NCAA president Charlie Baker recently renewed his call for a new tier of Division 1 that would let the elite schools pay their athletes. As an ACC member, BC would ostensibly be considered one of the elites.

But that might be in name only. Its NIL collective, Friends of the Heights, wants to do its part, but it won’t be paying top dollar for game-changing players.

“A good QB in the portal costs $1 million, $1.5, $2 million,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said in November.

Coincidentally O’Brien, who was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for three weeks after leaving the Patriots, was set to coach one of those quarterbacks. Will Howard, who won a Big 12 championship at Kansas State, left when that school landed a local five-star freshman (Avery Johnson). Howard could have declared for the NFL and was projected as a mid-round pick, but instead chose the Buckeyes from a handful of seven-figure Power Five starting jobs.

O’Brien said he wants to embrace the new era, but “if the first question out of a guy’s mouth is ‘How much are you going to pay me?’” he said, “that guy might not be the best fit for Boston College.”

BC may be behind its peers, but it isn’t poor. ESPN reported BC was boosting its coaching “salary pool,” which has been…