I felt the same with Bronco, I expected a top 25 finish and a shot at a big bowl every couple years.

Now after moving on from a successful in football we are left to just hope to beat Utah and limp to a bowl game---
It no longer feels like a reasonable expectation to finish in the top 25 which is why so many are still on a high from a potatoe bowl win.

Sad to think about, but if a similar thing in basketball happens, we will long for the days of 20ish wins, top 1/3 finishes, owning the state and NIT bubble possibilities. Those will be the good years, not the "down years".