Well, statistically it’s actually only about 40% of the P5 teams that are sub-.500 overall during that stretch so I’m guilty of rounding it up to half to remind the point that winning records are not statistically expected across the country. Hoped for by all, achieved by only a percentage. Winning in excess of 70%…exceptionally rare. Most schools have their top line goal being bowl eligible at the end of the year. GP caused this fan base to become used to always winning so being down for 3-4 years is now the end of the world. Problem will be finding somebody who can sustain that type of expectation. Things don’t go right and Frog fans will have the top of their pyramid every year have “being bowl eligible” on it.
I’d also suggest that over a career, coaches are what they are. After 20+ years of coaching you can expect the floor for GP to be what it’s been and the ceiling to be what it’s been. GP isn’t 80 years old and having difficulty doing the job due to age. The cycles of up and down across the country are what they are. The playing field is being on one hand leveled, and on the other end made even more difficult to contend (Alabama, Georgia, etc). Look at Clemson’s meteoric rise and sustain for a few years and now they struggle to maintain that elite level. Think those guys are all idiots and disconnected suddenly? Think is was all Trevor Lawrence? Come on…you hit and you miss on kids. Chemistry happens at times and then struggles to connect happens. Injuries happen. Unexplained happens.
For some comparison, this board was sure that Schloss was done a few years ago and the program had slid and needed changes and all this same BS. Then magically the coach is back to being good again. Who would have guessed? There were actually people calling for the guy to get pushed out on this board. Same coach that Texas A&M thought enough of to bring a suitcase of money to. Point…if you don’t like a 3-5 year low swing, imagine what a 15-20 year low swing feels like. That’s the risk we just took if this hire doesn’t get things rolling in a big way. One failure leads to another and another if you aren’t very careful, and then all the sudden the kids you’re recruiting don’t even remember you being a great program and you’re truly starting all over.