That’s the thing- It’s far more about the competency of the staff than inherent qualities of the program. The second biggest factor is ease of schedule imo.The Nebby situation got me thinking, what is a rebuild? How long should someone get to rebuild? On the second question, I used to think you should get enough time to have a roster full or your own recruits but CMC swung this dumpster fire around in about a year and a half. Honestly, after his first 3 or 4 games, he had us competitive. In '16, following the SJSU win, only Texas and #19 WV were lopsided games. If a guy can that at ISU this quickly, are fans at a school like Nebraska (history, resources, fan support, only in state d1 program) justified in thinking a coach only needs a couple years to be where they expect?
If a school has the funds, and more importantly the AD, to hire a good staff, they’ll turn it around.