Lots of great points in here that should begin with this year being an aberration vs any kind of trend. In the 7 Championships that Penn State has won, we've finished second twice and have the closest finish of any runner-up during that stretch (not that moral victories matter). When we had 5 champs in 2005 it was historic and somehow Penn St has made it the new norm that casual OSU fans can't seem to put into context. Last week was the least enjoyable Nationals I've experienced since 2009, but I still couldn't help but think about the Minnesota and Iowa State fans and how far they have fallen.
Cael has completely changed the game and I think Inky nailed it on the head with the need for our coaches and administration to put a plan in place that elevates the resources we have some control over. We can't change the drop in local high school talent or the decimation of the Big 12, but we can put a greater emphasis on fund raising, the student athlete experience, recruiting and promotion/attendance. Maybe these requests have already been articulated to Holder and the administration is unwilling to or unable to support, but it seems like there is an opportunity here to bounce back in a major way and realign the program to narrow the gap with PSU.