You hit all the points I was thinking of. Winning a non playoff bowl isn’t per se helping recruiting now. The whole endeavor is practice and great practice for the younger guys that spent most of the year on scout team. But the bowls happen when high schoolers are done with their season and off school eating popcorn and watching these games more intently then before. And these 24 and 25 recruits are just hearing the espn talking points and that has an influence. Also non playing college kids in portal we may want are in same position. Looking good winning the game all of that may be no better than neutral. But losing to your turn coat, carpet bagging, crawdad head sucking, jack ass of an ex coach while some espn jag is salivating over Kelly’s first year turn around bc sec sec sec is not the shit you want Johnny Sophmore defensive end hearing while your trying to get him to spend money to visit for a camp.