3 years gives you juniors for starters and sophomores/rs freshmen for depth. That is not going to get it on the national/SEC stage. I think we can compete better in 3 years but win the SEC or make the 4 team playoff......no.
Like most of us I have watched a lot of ball for a lot of years at all levels in a lot of different sports. The one constant I have noticed is that the teams with the older more experienced players across the board are the ones who win. That is not to say freshmen can't step in and be good players, they absolutely can, but they need to be the exception and not counted on at every position.
In the context of the original quote, we would have a shot at beating Oregon in 3 years IMO. This is also factoring in that THEY might not be that good. Or think of it this way, my hope is that in three years we could beat anyone on a given day. I do think that's possible.
I don't see us competing for the NC, but hopefully we will at least be a contender for the SEC. I certainly don't see it happening this year and probably not next.