"The Romans at the time were in pusillanimous denial of the barbarian threat.
As someone who studies this time period (I have no life), this was not really the case."
Sounds as if you have a very interesting life, to have the time and inclination to study the fall of Rome.
So, was it just that the Romans lacked the proper institutions to defeat the Barbarians? From what I have read, much of what we know that *does not work* such as price controls, preventing the movement of labor, and excessive taxation, came from the Romans.