On the plus side of 50, became a Tech fan in the fall of '76. Graduated in '94 (ID94), about 5 years older than most of my classmates at the time.
I lived through the dismissal of Coach Rodgers and saw how far Tech plummeted in Coach Curry's first years. Apparently, there was some serious talk about dissolving the football program altogether prior to joining the ACC. When Coach Curry left, the program hit rock-bottom again, this time with a kind of low-grade mutiny going on against the incoming regime. Things got better in '89 when Coach Ross's recruits started blossoming, but '87 and '88 were terrible seasons. Then after Coach Ross left for the Chargers, Lewis took Tech back to rock-bottom. It could easily happen again. The best transition in my time as a Tech fan was the Gailey-Johnson transition; either one of those coaches could have taken the program higher if one or two variables had been different. For CCG, it was probably getting the right QB. For Coach Johnson, having a defense and not being so hamstrung by the Hill.
I think the Hill really is the x-factor (if not the board of regents). If anyone remembers, it was a perfect storm when Patrick Crecine was Tech president. He was incredibly gung-ho and supportive of Tech athletics. He understood Tech's traditions, even as an outsider, and had a good relationship with AD Homer Rice. I think this as much as anything contributed to the success of '90. It was this environment that Coach Ross and his staff entered into and eventually found success.