Sorry, but I'm gonna have to see someone do better than GS here to believe it is at all possible.
IMO, university, and perhaps fan base, commitment is more important than who the coaches are. I think if the school decides to get serious, then the only other hurdle is location.
Regionally speaking, RU has a situation where sports fans have a lot of different choices. Unlike the regional situations for other schools where the local college programs are the only game in town. This is not a unique situation. But it’s a challenge for us.
So I think school commitment is the #1 requirement. And then we need some luck. We need a couple seasons where things just happen to fall our way. Running a clean program can help. We cannot survive more situations like what occurred under Flood.
But we also need to get a couple seasons where key players don’t get injured. Because we lack depth and we need to win to build depth. Not exactly a catch 22, but something close to it.
It would help if some Big Ten schools have off years. The right combination of good luck in the schedule and good luck in the locker room, plus maybe some good luck in recruiting and we can get over the hump and build some momentum.
I think Ash is doing the right things. He’s a young coach, but is obviously learning from his mistakes. And learning quickly, from what I can see. But he’s doing the same sorts of things any competent program leader would do.
I, like you, need to see what happens. I’m neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Just hopeful. But logically, I believe RU can become a force in football. Just need some luck, some patience, and a lot of hard work.