Yes our second round NCAA games in 2015 and 2016 definitely exposed what we are.
You (lightning) mentioned that 250K number and it got me thinking about the 1980's, and Wisconsin today. I don't know exactly how we raided the states of Michigan and Illinois and got prime NYC area football recruits but suspect it was a combination of things that had little to do with "Barta Creed"
Bernie Wyatt was a wizard on the East Coast, but Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom were involved too. You would see the Harmon brothers zipping around campus on their scooters, sharply dressed, jewelry. Devon Mitchell, Nate Creer. Must have had a rich relative or something? Yeah!, Right!
As for the Raveling era, there have been whispers from veteran Chicago era sportswriters like Terry Boers and Rick Telander over the years that a little spice was being added to the pot to entice Marble, Armstrong, Horton and others to sign with Iowa. Those players were all nationally top 25 recruits, the type we have seldom landed since. Hmm, did they all graduate and do it the legal way? The fact that they are Iowa legends now lends support to the premise that in the end it doesn't matter when going up against top recruiting competition. You do what it takes or you come in as an also ran.
Anyone think Barry Boy is totally innocent in keeping the Badgers competitive? I know first hand how tough it is for non athletes to get into that school. I have had children graduate from Cuba City in 2016 and 2018. If you aren't in the top ten percent of your graduating class or have a cumulative GPA above 3.5 you can forget Wisconsin. Which is why so many of their classmates fell back to LaCrosse, Platteville, or Whitewater. But Barry and his coaches have no problem getting enough athletes in there to remain highly prominent. Anyone else think every one of those athletes is 3.5 or top 10%? Or do the athletes have a different set of rules when it comes to academic restrictions.
So, back to your point. A once proud athletic program that we grew up loving is now reduced to settling for average to slightly above, with the occasional advance just far enough to get exposed. All under the leadership of an athletic director who rewards comfort and settling.