Yeah, the prestige bumps definitely help. I went down to a B after the previous season's speed bump. After the S16 run, I'm back up to an A-. Of course, this is a non-recruiting year, so I'll have to wait another season to use it. Hopefully I can get it up to an A or A+ in the coming season with 12 returners.
Also of interest (at least to me), I find myself now qualified for 7 bottom-of-the-barrel D- prestige D1 jobs and am listed as longshot for about another 10-15, all without ever spending a day in Phelan anywhere other than WPU.