I couldn't care less if recruiting rankings were 150th if the team wins. It's trite but true.
Problem is, greater rankings do mean better teams.
And even 8-5 teams that never sniff championships aren't acceptable to most fans, aka customers.
Few now, and fewer still each season, are accepting that as adequate (and we hardly even get that).
And they're voting with wallets and feet. Or not, as it were. Which it is. Or something.
You can feel like super alums or outstanding humans for being happy about mediocre teams. "Losing at sports means my school is gooder than those other ones having all the fun on Saturdays, which must mean i'm a genius, no matter what my uncle who went to Michigan thinks!"
Whatever gets you through the night, it's alright, it's alright. Just make sure to turn the lights out when, not if, you're the last one in the stadium.