Welcome to August, and welcome to the final four weeks of the college football offseason! The final four weeks of our college football fast. The final four weeks of the long night between the sunset that was Bama v. Clemson VI and the sunrise that is the season that will conclude with Bama v. Clemson V. It's hard to believe that in 27 short days we will finally be watching Utah Football again.

The past 30 weeks have been filled by experts and amateurs alike pontificating on things like returning production, recruiting classes, coaching changes, and facility upgrades. Fans spent the past 30 weeks imagining their team’s next season. Calculating how easily everything could go right and how unlikely it is that everything could go wrong. Penciling in bowl games and making January hotel reservations, where they’d revel in their team’s grandeur and the heroic vindication that came with vicarious success.

But how do we define success? Ask ten fans and you’ll get ten answers. Many covet AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings. Others tout bowl appearances and postseason wins. Some cling to obscure advanced metrics that make their team sound great out of context. However, and rather unfortunately, in college football the most important measurement for success is your record.

We’ve come a long way toward measuring the ability and success of teams without relying on arbitrary wins and losses. That said, in most cases, the harsh reality of sports is this: you are what your record says you are. A 7-5 Memphis team is almost certainly not as good as a 5-7 Mississippi State team, but when it comes to rankings, bowl eligibility, and in conference cases, championship berths, it doesn’t matter how good you are. You are what your record says you are. It only matters how many games you have won.