Sadly, the landscape of CFB has changed dramatically in the last several years and it doesnt benefit the lower tier of schools, and I dont say that to denigrate any schools.
The way I see it, there are 4 tiers of CFB. We all obviously know who the top tier schools are, as they all vie for the spots in the 4 team playoff every year. Bama, OSU, Clemson, OK, etc.
Then there is Tier 2, schools that are in the top 25. OK St, VaTech, Miami, Iowa, Wisc, USC, Boise, Wash
Then there is tier 3. They make the top 25 several times a decade. They will typically finish anywhere from 5-8 wins every year. This is the biggest group. These schools need to realize that they can't fire the coach just because he is finishing the season at 7-5. My school is a tier 3 and I've got to learn to be happy to win 7 games a year. I've also got to realize that every few years we are gonna go 4-8 just the same that once a decade we will win 10-11 games.
Tier 4? They just came up from FCS, they are a directional school and once a decade they get a huge upset. Once in a while, they move up to tier 3, look at App State.
Anyway, what the hell do I know.