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I was a big Braves fan through the 80s when they were horrible, annually in last place most years.  I think they won the division in 82/83 then went south.  But they were entertaining, and on WTBS of course.  Ted Turner had bought this ridiculous UHF station, Channel 17, we could just barely get a fuzzy signal, and there was little on it worth watching anyway.  Then he bought the Braves, and broadcast every game (nearly).  Then cable erupted and now they had fans in places like Idaho (still do apparently).

I still enjoyed watching them, it was low stress, if they won it was a feel good miracle.  If they lost, well, it was expected.

It can be fun just viewing for pure entertainment.  I do agree the times when a "Purdue" can upset an "Ohio State" may be waining, or gone.  I don't think that is fixable outside a year when Ohio State is just really down (as if).  Maybe the elite teams will never be down significantly any more, I dunno.  Florida is an example of that currently.  Their O/U is 5.5 I think for 2023.  How does that happen?  Is it just coaching?

years of falling behind the top dawgs (see what I did there Cincy) in the SEC compounding like interest due to lots of bad coaching hires back to back to back in succession post-Urbs. gets to a point where you wind up so far behind the elite and it all just snowballs south and the odds of turning it around become more and more insurmountable. then when you find an elite coach- all bets are off- he can flip it fast. lots of good coaches. very few elite ones. 

we like to think such and such school is "coach proof" hire anyone and they'll be successful. that's just not the case and it never was. USC, Texas, Florida, Miami, Bama, ND, Michigan - all have had lost decades in the wilderness. Ohio State might've went that way had they not gotten Urbs- who flipped a 6-7 team to 12-0 year 1 and built them into even more of a juggernaut and the guy who is kicking ass right now for them- Ryan Day- was a guy that Urbs handpicked.

Miami is proof positive that no place is coach proof. They have such a massive advantage when it comes to recruiting grounds/location that if they just kept the very elite top kids from 3 counties- Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach - they'd be a playoff team every year. Yet they have pretty much sucked ass for 20 years and have been bleeding those kids like Floyd Mayweather bleeds cash.

That 6-7 team that Urbs flipped was loaded with talent, and because he was able to come in November and immediately start recruiting, voila.

The team was in turmoil because they lost their coach. Tressel would have coached that team to 10 wins. Fickell was put in a tough spot as interim coach too. Some of the kids just checked out.

But it's OSU. Fire a legend - Tressel. Bring in Urban - elite.

Duh.

all true. but my point was that they were extremely fortunate and blessed to get Urbs when they did. 

say Urbs actually had health problems and wasn't ever coaching again....which is what he said to get outta the mess he created at UF.....say they go for a hot big name at the moment like Michigan did with RichRod or Nebraska did with Scott Frost...but that hot big name wound up being a dud....like RichRod and Scott Frost...OSU ain't still OSU.

they were able to replace a CFB HOF national title winning coach with....a better CFB HOF national title winning coach. That shit just doesn't happen anywhere else.

That 6-7 team that Urbs flipped was loaded with talent, and because he was able to come in November and immediately start recruiting, voila.

The team was in turmoil because they lost their coach. Tressel would have coached that team to 10 wins. Fickell was put in a tough spot as interim coach too. Some of the kids just checked out.

But it's OSU. Fire a legend - Tressel. Bring in Urban - elite.

Duh.

I agree with everything you said and I'll add that the 6-7 team had a lot of bad luck and the 12-0 team had a lot of good luck.  The two games that immediately spring to mind are the two Purdue games because I attended both:
At Purdue in 2011:
With less than a minute to go Ohio State scored what should have been the winning TD.  The Buckeyes were down 20-14 and scored a TD but the XP was blocked and Purdue won in OT.  

Vs Purdue in 2012:
Ohio State was down by the same 20-14 score after a late-third-quarter Purdue TD.  Then in the fourth quarter Ohio State committed a penalty near the goal that resulted in a safety making it an eight-point game at 22-14.  Then, with less than three minutes to go Purdue got what should have been the game-clinching interception.  Purdue got the ball up by eight with 2:40 to go then proceeded to do pretty much everything wrong:

• False Start before their first down play made it 1st and 15.  
• 1st and 15 was a one-yard gain.  
• 2nd and 14 Purdue rushed but only gained a yard.  
• 3rd and 13 Purdue rushed for seven.  
• 4th and 6 Purdue punted.  

Even after all of that, Ohio State's chances were still pretty remote.  They had the ball but they needed a TD and a 2pt conversion, and to win the game in OT.  Oh, and they only had a little better than thirty seconds left.  Then career backup Kenny Guiton put on his superhero cape and proceeded to do incredible things for a few minutes and Ohio State scored a TD, converted a 2pt conversion, scored another TD in OT, and won the game 29-22.  

The 2011 team was 6-7 but six of the seven losses were within one score:

• To MSU by a FG
• To Nebraska by a TD, the largest comeback in UNL history, I travelled to Lincoln for this one, thanks @FearlessF  for hosting.  
• To Purdue in OT, see above.  
• To PSU by six.  
• To Michigan y six.  
• To Florida by a TD.  

Then the 2012 team had a slew of close wins:

• Over Cal by a TD.  
• Over MSU by one.  
• Over Indiana by a FG.  
• Over Purdue in OT, see above.  
• Over Wisconsin in OT.  
• Over Michigan by five.  

Those two teams weren't nearly as far as their records made it look.  


My point is that the difference between them wasn't nearly as big as one would assume.  I'm sure some of the close game difference comes down to coaching but some of it was just dumb luck.  

Smart?  Obviously a germane question even as soon as 2024 possibly.  I'm available.

Kirby might be a UGA lifer. not even 50 yet and not sure he'll ever be a high level NFL head coach prospect.

Vs Purdue in 2012:
Ohio State was down by the same 20-14 score after a late-third-quarter Purdue TD.  Then in the fourth quarter Ohio State committed a penalty near the goal that resulted in a safety making it an eight-point game at 22-14.  Then, with less than three minutes to go Purdue got what should have been the game-clinching interception.  Purdue got the ball up by eight with 2:40 to go then proceeded to do pretty much everything wrong:

• False Start before their first down play made it 1st and 15. 
• 1st and 15 was a one-yard gain. 
• 2nd and 14 Purdue rushed but only gained a yard. 
• 3rd and 13 Purdue rushed for seven. 
• 4th and 6 Purdue punted. 

Even after all of that, Ohio State's chances were still pretty remote.  They had the ball but they needed a TD and a 2pt conversion, and to win the game in OT.  Oh, and they only had a little better than thirty seconds left.  Then career backup Kenny Guiton put on his superhero cape and proceeded to do incredible things for a few minutes and Ohio State scored a TD, converted a 2pt conversion, scored another TD in OT, and won the game 29-22. 

Speaking of banana peels, how 'bout them 2012 Boilermakers?!

OSU and PSU *both* ineligible for postseason play so the only conference threat is Wisconsin. Danny Hope in his 4th year, following up the injury-plagued 2010 year with a seeming "upswing" year in 2011 and returning a bunch of starters. 

So what did they do with a dream year setup? 

Once they hit conference play, get stomped by Michigan, get stomped by Wisconsin, choke away a winnable "redemption" game against OSU in OT, get stomped by Minnesota, and stomped by PSU, starting 0-5 in league play, leading to shit-canning HC Danny Hope with 3 weeks left in the season. 

Miami has been in the ACC for 18 years and has 1 division title. 
And they got their asses beaten in that CCG.

Poor coaching/recruiting/development will retard any and all programs.

100%. 

Miami is the prime example of no place being "fool proof" - even moreso than USC imo. Always have to have the coach in place and the recruiting/development follows that. The talent pool in South Florida is so insane that Miami could literally recruit within a 75 mile radius of any direction and always have a roster chock full of NFL starters and Pro Bowlers. They have either passed on them (Lamar Jackson) or missed out on them on the trail (way too many to list). 

Miami has been in the ACC for 18 years and has 1 division title. 
And they got their asses beaten in that CCG.

Poor coaching/recruiting/development will retard any and all programs.

I put that elsewhere.  No top 15ish program should be handicapped by roster, but they can be handicapped by bad coaching hires