Todd Graham takes his team to Utah on Saturday to find out if the Sun Devils have turned the corner on the 2015 season. The Utes are ranked 4th in the nation, the Sun Devils haven’t lost to Utah since Graham took over as head coach.
Arizona dispatched of a young Oregon State team last week within the first half. As I wrote last week, the Wildcats are in a stretch of games that they should be able to take care of business. Going on the road to beat Colorado is nothing to sell short, but having watched the Buffs a few times this season it’s pretty clear to me that if the Wildcats don’t turn the ball over, they should win.
USC vs ASU or UofA…c’mon…Even though USC stands for “University of Spoiled Children” in many people’s minds, the Trojans history, tradition and heritage are far, far deeper than the two in-state schools. Both coaches have done a VERY good job at their respective programs, both would deny they would have an interest, both would say “I haven’t been contacted”. Both would be crazy to stay at their present positions if they had a chance at either job. At the mid-point of the season I could see Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin looking at the USC job. If he were to leave, I can easily see Graham going after the A&M job. There’s not many jobs that I could see Graham bolting from Tempe, but College Station and some of the connections(R.C.Slocum) would get Graham at least in the door.
Rich Rod would play great at USC and South Carolina and a couple of other SEC jobs that may come open.
Neither Arizona State or Arizona are national brands when it comes to football programs. I would be more than a bit surprised if both coaches names don’t pop up in this years hiring cycle.