You might think what I'm about to say is hyperbole, or laughable.

It isn't.

After watching Indiana University football win the national championship on Monday night, there is no excuse for Syracuse University football anymore.

If Indiana, the losing-est program in college football history, can win the Big Ten conference and then win three games in the College Football Playoff to win the national title, then Syracuse can certainly deliver more than it's delivered in the last 30 years. In that time, Syracuse has just 13 bowl game appearances and eight wins.

That's a fair expectation, and now that Indiana's shown it's possible, there's nothing to hide behind. "Oh, we're in a tough conference." Nope. "Oh, we're a basketball school." Nope. "Oh, we don't have the resources of this school or that school." Nope.

The blueprint has been set. If you actually want to accomplish it, it's there for the taking.

Ten years ago, I would have laughed along with you. Building a championship team at Syracuse would have been basically impossible. Recruiting five stars does not happen consistently. Finishing ranked No. 1 or No. 2 to earn a computerized bid into the BCS title? Also, basically impossible. But now? It's a different world.

If you have enough outside NIL money, you can build the roster of your dreams. Find it. If you have the right coach, he can roster build and culture build all at the same time. Because of the transfer portal, you can find veteran players with experience to turn things around very quickly. You can find players who drop down from 'bigger' schools, or you can find players who are moving up from smaller schools. Find them.

Indiana's story is a great one, but it's not the classic underdog story. This didn't take a decade for Curt Cignetti to build. It took two years, because that's what modern college football allows for now. College Football is basically the NFL - with even more player mobility. We see NFL teams go from 'awful to awesome' almost every year. Look at Jacksonville, New England and Chicago just this season alone. When you have the right pieces in place, it happens quickly.

And it can happen at Syracuse too. Don't be naive and don't settle for less. SU plays in a worse conference than Indiana with a clear path to the Playoff, and they play a softer schedule.

Indiana winning is great for the sport, not just because it's a good story, but because it's taken away the excuses for many programs around the country.

Syracuse included.

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