Before #1: Don't embarrass the university or Church.
#1: Win enough games to be ranked (and therefore relevant)
#2: Win those games on national TV so I (and anyone else) can watch
#3: Beat Utah
#4: Beat more P5 teams so we can increase in relevance, but not at the cost of actual wins
#5: Get invited to an NY6 bowl at least once per decade, preferably 2+
If we didn't schedule a September gauntlet every year, we would not be so beat up and lose a couple of head scratchers in October. We could end the season with 9+ wins and sometimes that would result in being ranked. This would help with recruiting and lead to further improvement.
Anyone who expects a NC doesn't understand the system. There are fewer than 10 schools that have a real shot of winning a NC in the next 5 years, and we're not on (or close to) that list. Most P5 schools won't sniff that list either.