It’s not just the boosters. It’s not just the buyouts. It’s not even the losses.

It’s Indiana winning 9 games. It’s Vandy beating Florida. It’s Kansas hosting GameDay. It’s the programs that were supposed to be permanent excuses suddenly becoming proof-of-concept.

And when that happens, the doctrine shifts.

No more "tough job" immunity. If Vandy can field a competent OL and beat SEC teams, what’s your excuse with a $150M facility and a top-25 recruiting base?

No more "give it time" grace. When Indiana flips its culture in two seasons, patience starts looking like passivity.

No more "we're close" pressers. Because the bar isn’t just Bama anymore—it’s the team you used to schedule for homecoming.

Meanwhile, the big brands are spending a king’s ransom—staff salaries, NIL collectives, facilities that look like Bond villain lairs—and still can’t crack 8 wins. That’s not just frustrating. It’s destabilizing.

Because when a “basketball school” or a “nerd school” starts winning faster and cheaper, the myth of slow builds and structural disadvantage dies. And when the myth dies, the margin dies with it.

That’s when the boosters stop listening. That’s when the AD starts looking. That’s when the hot seat turns into a buyout negotiation.

This is how coaches get fired. Not because they’re bad. But because the excuses that used to protect them are getting exposed on Saturdays.