Recruiting at a high level and consistently importing four- and five-star prospects doesn’t guarantee you conference championships or national championships. It may not even guarantee you a winning record (Amirite, Texas?).
What it does give you, however, is a better shot at achieving the aforementioned goals. I’m not a math guru (I really am, I just don’t want to flash my résumé on the interwebs) but a simple, straightforward formula fuels elite and consistent winning programs.
Better athletes = more wins.
It’s not that simple, obviously. Alabama doesn’t go out and recruit a bunch of five-star players whose talents are custom-fit for a different scheme, for instance, much like OSU doesn’t go out and recruit a bunch of receivers and quarterbacks who are accustomed to pro-style systems.