This feels different.

For the Boston College program, hiring a new coach never has a glow that is this celebratory.

When the Eagles hired Bill O’Brien this week, he was their first choice, the type of candidate this school doesn’t normally get.

Let’s first go over why O’Brien was the prized candidate. O’Brien has head coaching experience in the NFL, where he took the Houston Texans to the playoffs. He also has head coaching experience at the Power 5 level in college, where he coached at Penn State. There, he helped Penn State get back on its feet after a major scandal rocked that program. He also had experience as an offensive coordinator for both the New England Patriots and Alabama. And he was about to take over the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State.

You look at those list of organizations, it’s like a who’s who of top places to coach football, both in college and the NFL. In other words, that resume usually does not include Boston College.

But now O’Brien is here, and he’s ready to win at The Heights. It is an unbelievable opportunity for the school.

And, let’s face it, usually Boston College is counting excuses for why it can’t win at a high level. The Eagles are in a pro sports market that does not always value college athletics. New England traditionally does not always produce as many prospects as some of the opponents in the Atlantic Coast Conference do. The Eagles do not always commit as many resources to football as those rivals. BC does not have the same game day atmosphere as the top programs that BC competes with.

BC can’t always do something about some of those reasons, but some of them are just excuses.

While some of those reasons are valid, the hiring of O’Brien might mean BC should stop talking about them for now. This is a major win for BC, and puts the Eagles in a new light.

With O’Brien in charge, it just might be time for BC to start talking about what it is capable of. Getting a coach of this caliber means that BC is in position for greater goals. Does it mean that BC is suddenly in the national title picture? No. But that glass ceiling that has held BC back in the past may be a thing of the past.

You’re talking about a program that has not won eight or more games since 2009. That fact has been talked about ad nauseam for years now. At the very least, that should be something O’Brien’s administration should be looking to eclipse.

In the very short term, BC should have a chance to get those eight wins in year one. With the return of quarterback Thomas Castellanos and some other top players, even with a tough schedule, eight wins is not too high for this team to shoot.

What will ultimately determine BC’s fate under O’Brien is recruiting. If O’Brien can lure top prospects to Chestnut Hill, he will have real staying power. BC is not an easy place to recruit to, but if anyone can do it, it’s him.

There are always going to be reasons why BC does not win at a high level. In the past, they have almost defined the program.

But right now, BC has someone in O’Brien who can really win, and the Eagles have better excuses to be excited.