Depending on how things develop over the coming months, there is a chance this year's Six Nations championship could be Gregor Townsend's last hurrah as Scotland head coach.
The former Glasgow Warriors boss, 51, remains under contract for another year, with his current deal set to expire in April 2026.
Whether his contract ends or not will depend on Scotland's results in this year's championship, especially given that they have the advantage of playing three home games.
If they were to repeat last year's poor performance of just two wins, it would be impossible to make a case for being allowed to remain in the position.
When he names his team on Wednesday afternoon, Townsend will be under no illusions that a major upgrade is required.
It all starts when Italy visits Murrayfield on Saturday 1 February. That will be a mission of revenge for Townsend and his players after they suffered a humiliating defeat in Rome last year.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend should be confident ahead of the Six Nations
Sione Tuipulotu has been in excellent form of late and should retain the captaincy
However, Scotland will rely heavily on prop Zander Fagerson to keep the scrum competitive.
Scotland will then host Ireland at Murrayfield the following week, with the visitors looking to become the first team in history to win three consecutive Six Nations titles.
Ireland will be without Andy Farrell due to his commitments to the British and Irish Lions, with Simon Easterby taking over.
No one expects Ireland to suddenly collapse in Farrell's absence, but being without the head coach who has served them so well in recent years surely opens up an opportunity.
Scotland will visit Twickenham in the third round, looking to continue their dominance of the Calcutta Cup that has been built in recent years under Townsend.
They will then face Wales in the penultimate round of matches, before finishing their championship against France in Paris on March 15.
Townsend's future will be much clearer by then. If Scotland can follow up their victory over the Wallabies in late autumn with a positive championship, they could still see out their contract.
But anything less than three wins at least would only reinforce the feeling that he has taken the team as far as he can.
There has been a decent level of continuity across the team over the last few years. If everyone is fit, the team largely chooses itself.
Most importantly, Scotland have several key players in good form ahead of the championship.
Sione Tuipulotu has legitimate reasons to be the best center in world rugby right now. Given his form, he should continue as captain after leading the team in the autumn.
Finn Russell is in the prime of his career and playing exceptional rugby for a Bath team currently top of the English Premiership.
With Duhan van der Merwe and the fit Darcy Graham continuing to set new try records, Scotland will not be short of firepower.
With Huw Jones also in excellent form and Blair Kinghorn continuing to excel for Toulouse, Townsend's starting defensive line is as good as any in world rugby.
The real test for Scotland will be what they do in attack. Can they physically match the likes of France and Ireland? Do they have the depth necessary to win titles in a brutal and grueling championship?
Jonny Gray was expected to return to the team after missing the autumn series as he regained full fitness.
But Gray has since suffered another injury for Bordeaux in a Champions Cup clash against Ulster last month and could be sidelined until mid-February, according to reports in France.
Zander Fagerson remains one of Scotland's most important players. Not just in terms of his form, but also the fact that there is simply no viable cover or backing behind him.
Adam Hastings will miss while recovering from facial surgery, with Tom Jordan providing primary cover for Russell at flyhalf.
Townsend is a big fan of Jordan and has spoken in glowing terms about the versatility he offers, as he can cover three different positions.
The team's third fly-half could well be Fergus Burke, the Kiwi-born number 10 who has excelled since joining Saracens.
Burke also qualifies to represent England but was not included in Steve Borthwick's squad when he was named yesterday.
That appears to have cleared the way for a Scotland call-up and, if that were to happen, it would leave Ben Healy even further down the pecking order.
Healy has slumped over the last year. He was recruited into Munster with much fanfare.
Scotland felt they had really staged a coup by moving it away from the Irish system. Healy played in the World Cup as Russell's substitute.
But since then he has completely lost his way. Being demoted so far down the pecking order certainly would not have been in his thoughts when he moved to Scotland. Penny for your thoughts now.
With Russell and Tuipulotu at the top of their game, Scotland could do real damage in this year's championship.
Starting with two home games, they have a chance to start the tournament strong.
But, with just one year left on his contract, Townsend will know he needs results. The promise of playing with this Scottish team tomorrow cannot last forever.
Key players are now in the prime of their careers. Several of them could be Test Lions in just a few months.
Armed with so much talent, this has to be the year Scotland finally faces a real silver medal challenge.