The Tom O'Brien era at N.C. State is not buried and dead, but the "program-builder" image Lee Fowler had in December of 2006 is currently being given its Last Rites. In 10 years at BC, O'Brien turned a wayward program into a winner - the Eagles entered 2011 with an opportunity to notch a 13th consecutive winning season.

That's when we know O'Brien's tenure with BC and his first 54 games with the Pack are officially beginning to trend apart from each other.