Back to the thread title........My expectations are for us to be in the top 25 CONSISTENTLY, and in the top 10 OCCASIONALLY. That keeps us in the national conversations, both with fan base and recruiting. What we have had in the more recent past is "a cup of coffee" in the national and local spotlight for a year, or maybe two, then we drop out of sight.
How do I hope we will meet my expectations, you may ask ? Well, I think CGC is doing 2 vitally important things : building depth and recruiting playmakers. These are things I have been whining about for years. Injuries, transfers out, etc. have KILLED us in the past, especially OL and DL, because our QUALITY depth was so thin. Playmakers have been few and far between. We have seen glimpses over the years obviously : Johnson, Nesbitt, Dwyer, Thomas- Mason, Gibbs, maybe Sims will be. Those guys can take the game on their backs and ( almost) singlehandedly deliver a win. On defense, it's getting that stop, sack, interception. I don't care what "system" they run , they will figure out a way.
The thing that bothers me about CGC, is I have not seen a definite TREND toward consistently better play at this point. MAYBE it's the covid year ?? In my mind, NEXT YEAR is critical. Not looking to be top 25, or even going to a bowl. But I think we have to show a jump in wins, like from 3 to 5 or 6. " Rebuilding" will only get you so far, especially with the not-so diehard fans. They have a short attention span. The new marketing ideas/slogans will begin to sound overused and gimmicky.
I am trying to remain upbeat and optimistic, but if we finish 3-9 , or even 4-8, next year, IMO we will be in trouble: transfers will increase, momentum will slip, and recruits will start to wonder. Just my 2 cents.