FORT COLLINS – The question wasn’t meant to be difficult. As far as tough questions Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo will be asked this season, consider this a softball.

After three straight seven-win seasons, what will make this year any different? And in that vein, what constitutes success in 2018?

Bobo almost seemed perplexed. Success? The Rams are six days into fall training camp, we can’t be talking about year-end success, he said. A “championship” would mean success but Colorado State hasn’t begun considering what other goals or metrics qualify his fourth year as head coach an accomplishment, he claimed.

Yeah. Right. And that new $10 million contract you signed in December came with zero expectations.

As to what will make this year any different? Bobo didn’t make that clear.

Perhaps that’s for the best. Perhaps he knows the truth: In reality, with the Rams’ schedule, the forecast calls for another seven-win season.

CSU is coming off its most disappointing season in the past decade, and lost its record-setting quarterback, three starters on the offensive line, its leading rusher and a Biletnikoff finalist. No one is expecting the Mountain West’s No. 1 offense in 2017 to have a repeat performance this fall. And with a defense as consistently below average as CSU’s, new coordinator John Jancek better be Son-of-Bum good for this team to sniff eight wins in the regular season.

Could it happen?

Possibly. Throw in an upset of Colorado or Arkansas, and CSU is in business. But don’t forget this is a program that inexcusably fumbled away its chance to play in the Mountain West championship thrice in as many weeks a year ago, firmly branding itself as one of college football’s biggest letdowns.

And these players aren’t tone deaf. Receiver Bisi Johnson detailed the issue Thursday. The nauseating taste of the past three seasons lingers in the locker room. He recognizes CSU’s reputation — it can’t beat rivals and it can’t win bowl games. That. Has. To. Change.

“As long as our win total isn’t seven this year, I’ll be happy – but let’s go for more than seven,” CSU running back Izzy Matthews said. “A nine-win season for us – I don’t want to say it’s not going to be hard – but it’s not outlandish. Our goal is to go out there and win 12 games. We see our schedule and we see … three Power 5 teams in a row, and everyone on this team thinks, no matter the circumstances, it’s a winnable game. If we won 12 games, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

OK, love the attitude, Izzy, and you might have shed 20 pounds this offseason, but let’s slow down a bit before talking about an undefeated season. CSU has lost three consecutive Rocky Mountain Showdowns, has never beaten Boise State and has a $2 million game at Florida awaiting in Week 4. Check one of those boxes first before boarding the hype train to join Central Florida as “national champions.”

Keep it simple. Why will this year be different?

“Energy,” Matthews said. “The last couple of years, we’ve had a very talented offense, so we kind of got away with not having high energy. Obviously, we’ve had a high-scoring offense, very productive, but this year with an unknown quarterback, some changes on the offensive line and the receiving corps, I think we’ll bring a lot of energy this year, because it’s something you have to do. When you don’t know what you’ve got, you kind of have to ride the highs.

“All these people counting us out is really just motivation. You try and avoid the outside noise, but when you have people try to put you down, all it does is bring us closer and bring us brothers up.”

Then consider this motivation, because maybe that is all it takes. Maybe CSU doesn’t need an All-American receiver or a defense that passes as good. Maybe all the Rams need is a team that’s just good enough that believes it’s great.

It better be. The stagnation of a fourth consecutive season with a 7-6 record should be unacceptable, but what other reason is there to think 2018 will be any different?