This what is TRULY important to US now, what we will follow as closely as anything ELSE (as much as our eventual Bowl game, and MORE than all the talk about the OTHER familiar CFP and/or Bowl meetings--and RIGHTLY SO): It is how we fare in this recruiting cycle (as of today, "open season" for the next few weeks) that will directly affect our future--starting this Spring, and how much further along we'll find ourselves just ONE YEAR FROM NOW.
There'll be more "grad-transfers", AND some "wins" AND "losses" among the 4- and 5-Star candidates we've targeted to fill out skill and depth issues on our steadily-rising squads, BOTH sides of the ball.
This has been a "DECENT" year, a "GOOD" Season no matter HOW you look at it--but certainly when you approach it from the "where we were STARTING from"-standpoint. Do NOT forget that. We were a broken, fragmented team with a losing record that was heading the wrong way when MacEllwaine managed to more or less "fire himself for cause" (lol). Talk about "good timing": We caught a break (in multiple ways) when we were able to ditch Mac and hire DM how and WHEN we did. He hit the ground running and hasn't stopped since: Began the behind-the-scenes turn-around AND started the Big Reversal with our rise to the Top 10 and a "New Years Six" Bowl game this season...but to BETTER that and enter the CFP discussion we need to improve our talent, depth AND onfield play next season. That'll take improvement among the guys we have and the way they prepare and are READY on game days, but just as necessary will no doubt be some significant additions, some new faces bringing competition and outright improvement across-the-board:
"He not busy bein' born is busy dieing!"
(Bob Dylan said that. When in doubt, I like turning to The Classics, ya know?)