It's this simple, If the administration really doesn't give a damn about football and wants to climb the University ratings instead, just say so. Stop pretending that you care. Pay the new coach 1m, can the facilities talk and move on. Then we can stop pinning for something that will never happen.
Bottom line. I really don't think our dear president cares. If Mullen is still our coach next game, i really don't think he cares. If Grantham is still D coordinator next game I really really don't think he cares.
And just to be clear I don't think university ratings mean much of anything. Raise you admission standards and then throw the smart kids in auditorium classes and voila you've got your ratings. Quality of education has nothing to do with those two things. A while back my son went to Florida. He's smart. He came out knowing something. It was mostly a credit to him not what the university offered in computer science. Actually what they offered was pathetic. I called the dean out on it. Since I'm in the business, I asked him if he was concerned that newly minted graduate would have no useful skills. He didn't give a flip. I hear it's worse now.