Coming off a huge 37-17 win over seventh-ranked Clemson and needing just one win in the regular season finale against a hapless Maryland program to become bowl eligible, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien and the Wolfpack were down 41-14 early in the second half. With the 'Pack down by four scores, I started to reminisce about TOB's regular season finales failures of the past.
TOB Regular Season Finale Performance as Head Coach at Boston College (4-6)
1997: Win -- 24-20 vs. Army
1998: Loss -- 35-10 at West Virginia
1999: Loss -- 38-14 at Virginia Tech
2000: Loss -- 52-6 at Miami
2001: Loss -- 39-28 at Syracuse
2002: Win -- 44-14 vs. Rutgers
2003: Win -- 34-27 at Virginia Tech
2004: Loss -- 43-17 vs. Syracuse (lost shot at outright Big East title and BCS bowl berth)
2005: Win -- 31-16 at Maryland
2006: Loss -- 17-14 at Miami (lost with a shot at winning the ACC Atlantic and making program's first Championship Game appearance)
TOB Regular Season Finale Performance as Head Coach at N.C. State (3-2)
2007: Loss -- 37-0 vs. Maryland (failed to become bowl eligible with loss)
2008: Win -- 38-28 vs. Miami (became bowl eligible with win)
2009: Win -- 28-27 vs. North Carolina
2010: Loss -- 38-31 at Maryland (failed to clinch ACC Atlantic Division title)
2011: Win -- 56-41 vs. Maryland (failed to become bowl eligible with ... whaaaaaaaaaaa? 42 unanswered points? Who is this TOB? Must have really wanted that Independence Bowl berth, eh?)
Also, with N.C. State's win, the winningest coach in Boston College program history bumped his former employer from fourth place in the Atlantic Division to fifth place in the final 2011 ACC standings. Fifth place in the Atlantic. That's out of six programs. The mark of the best BC coach of the last 15 years ...