This is definitely true. There would be a few token grumbles, but winning blinds fans to certain missteps coaches tend to make.
I also don’t think it’s just PAST winning that will make this go away. If Lovie bowls this year or, better yet, goes like 8-4...we will be in here thinking “Miles must be good! Luckily Lovie stood up to the doubters and proved it wasn’t about nepotism but qualifications that made him hire his son.”
That timeline won’t happen...but it’s what I imagine we would say if it did.
For me, Miles won't be the dominant headline unless his unit or the defense is as bad as 2018. If Illinois performs well, the dominant theme will be which players took the big leap forward that allowed to team to reach these new heights.
More than likely the 2019 protagonist will be
Rod Smith (offense reaches 2001 levels and carries the team to 7-8 wins, will someone give him a HC opportunity? Can Illinois give him another salary bump and/or a title raise to keep him? Or if the defense is so bad and fails to win a bowl there will be discussions about making Rod the HC) or
Lovie Smith (defense takes large leap forward, Lovie's system has proven it can work, his teaching ability is incredible, he gets a massive extension, all of the assistants get lucrative extensions, a couple new assistants are brought in with strong backgrounds). There are other themes, but they seem less likely.