Here’s a guy that pointed out five great comps for where we should be. Not USC, not Clemson.
Baylor and Arkansas were in really dire straights not long ago. Both hired highly regarded position coaches/coordinators that were football junkies. Both have a strong identity and recruit to it. No need to stray from it because it works. They’re also extremely disciplined and have coaches that hold themselves to the same standard.
BYU and Utah are both interesting because they were never bad and they have a lot of cultural elements going. Great fans, etc. sound familiar? They just made great hires and were patient. Neither was flipped overnight.
Kentucky is the slow rebuild nobody wants to commit to. Fundamentals, recruiting to scheme, technique, and depth are all the reasons why. It would be hard to replicate due to proximity to talent but the blueprint would translate.
Unfortunately none of the coaches are coming because these programs have the money to retain and recruit. That said, Nebraska should be in this group of schools. This is our ceiling. Grind, make the 12-team, and when a QB clicks you get a shot at making a run. Unless you’re Georgia, Alabama, or OSU this is your best bet. I could see Texas emerging in this group since they’ll probably pick up steam and Sark knows how to make it work.