The 2022 recruiting class is solid, Pry will have had 3 classes under him available for play and the 2023 class specifically will have been in the program long enough to see how good their player development is.

Oregon was 4-8 and 7-6 the 2 years prior to Cristobal. Then they went 9-4 and 12-2 (conference champ + Rose Bowl win) in his 2nd year (10-4 this year with just a division title), so he could potentially have Miami turned around very quick but they also didn't have to play anyone as good as Clemson to win the conference in 2019. His career at FIU was unremarkable so it's unclear whether he reached his peak as a coach with what he did at Oregon or not. (Even Paul Johnson won a lot of games and a conference title early at GT)

UNC might be better than VT next year (although they were both just 6-6 this year) but time isn't on Mack Brown's side anymore and rarely do you get a QB like Howell each and every year. Even Clemson had a short gap between DeShaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.

Pitt, I think this year was their peak. Narduzzi's been there 7 years now, almost all the rest of them they were a 7-8 win team. It took a team overloaded with a bunch of 5th and 6th year seniors, plus the best QB they've had in probably 20 years, just to get to 11-3. Even if Pitt beats VT, and/or has a better record, over the next couple years, I don't think their ceiling is as high. VT went 10-4 in 2008 with just shoestring and bubble gum, a bunch of freshmen and a QB with a 2:7 TD:INT ratio that year.

I forgot to mention this about Clemson earlier but the loss of Brent Venables is potentially enormous. They became competitive again with Tajh Boyd and Chad Morris, but the defenses that Venables put together arguably made him the single most important coach to Clemson's playoff runs and titles. How many defensive coordinators, who are still coaching in either college or pros, can be said to be definitely better than Venables every single year? Sure, Clemson was spending a ton of money to keep him around, i.e. they can spend a lot on his replacement, but someone as good or better may just plain not exist.

Obviously none of this may end up working out for Tech, it doesn't guarantee success for Pry and staff, but I think it represents a window of opportunity, just like Miami going on probation in the 90s, or VT joining the ACC and then both Florida State and Miami immediately faceplant in the dirt. Beamer was able to take full advantage of the 1st one and partial advantage of the 2nd.