I would choose B. Getting us to Preeminence and AAU doesn't qualify an administrator as a failure. I think it makes them good at their job.
I love football as much as the next person but saying that an academic institution should pull its resources from academics to put into its football program is to misunderstand the primary mission.
We may have one or two football players who go on to the NFL and benefit from doing that. But there will be thousands who will benefit from investing in academics after they get their (increasingly valuable) degree.
Looking back, if I couldn't develop both, then I would do what was done. Elevate this university fifty spots in the USN&W report. Then, focus on sports.
Football has provided me with entertainment. Academics provided me a way to recover from a disability and get back into the workforce to support my family so I could afford to watch USF play football.