The college football offseason is often a dead period for non-recruiting news, often leading outlets to come up creative ways to keep the gridiron in the spotlight.
Sporting News elected to release a series ranking the top coaches in each conference heading into the 2015 season. The Pac-12's list came out Thursday morning, with a few surprising selections.
ASU football coach Todd Graham, who has led the Sun Devils to back-to-back 10-win seasons, was ranked seventh.
This led to some criticism from ASU fans.
Remember that time SN put out the worst coach list ever (aka today)? https://t.co/dsmQZj4htF
— Joe Healey (@JoeHealey42) May 14, 2015
@JoeHealey42 That is some of the funniest sh*t I've ever seen. Pretty much a popularity contest.
— Brades (@ocsurf74) May 14, 2015
@JoeHealey42 Evidently Sporting News thinks one-dimensional teams are all the rage because that is what the 1-2 selections reflect.
— Devils Digest (@DevilsDigest) May 14, 2015
@JediASU @BDenny29 Agreed. Graham as No. 7 is kinda (see: really) dumb.
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleABC15) May 14, 2015
— Jedi ASU (@JediASU) May 14, 2015
So, as a fitting response, I offered my rankings of the top coaches in the Pac-12 heading into 2015:
1. David Shaw, Stanford
Shaw has been impressive at Stanford since taking over for Jim Harbaugh, leading the Cardinal to two Pac-12 titles and 42 wins over four seasons. There's a reason why Shaw is arguably the most sought-after coach in the collegiate ranks, and his ability to coach up the talent he has and recruit well in the ever-competitive state of California put him on a level of his own. Stanford had a down year in 2014, but should be revamped and ready to compete in the Pac-12 North in 2015.
2. Todd Graham, ASU
Who would have predicted this three years ago? Graham was hired after just one season at Pitt with a wave of criticism and fans clamoring for somebody else (see: June Jones), but has responded with one of the best three-year runs in school history. Graham led the Sun Devils to their first-ever Pac-12 South title in 2013, and responded by winning 10 games again the next year despite having just two returning starters on the defensive end. Recruiting hasn't been an issue for Graham either, as ASU's recruiting classes have improved with each season according to Scout and Rivals, with several freshmen breaking out as stars in 2014. Behind redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici and an experienced defense, ASU expects to contend for the conference title in 2015, and maybe even a trip to the College Football Playoff.
3. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
While Graham has achieved success in Tempe, the same could be said for his Territorial Cup counterpart in Tucson. Rodriguez was one of the laughingstocks of college football after his exit from Michigan, but has turned an average program to one of the best in the Pac-12. Rodriguez has won 26 games in three years down in the "Dirty T," including the program's first Pac-12 South title in 2014. The rise of the program led to their first major bowl berth since 1994 in their Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, and with the return of quarterback Anu Solomon the Wildcats should compete for the Pac-12 South title again in 2015.
4. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
When Helfrich first took over for Chip Kelly two seasons ago, his assignment appeared simple — he was given a fast car, his only job was not to crash it. Helfrich helped to engineer the high-powered Ducks offense and has only continued to expand it, sending Oregon to the first-ever College Football Playoff championship game last season. His recruiting has been solid, but his in-game coaching has at times struggled, as shown in their national championship game loss to Ohio State. Now, we have to see what Helfrich is made of without the luxury of having Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
5. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
It's never easy to make the transition from a small conference to the Pac-12, and at times the road looked rocky for the Utes. After an 8-5 record in their first season in the new conference, Utah finished 5-7 in back-to-back seasons. However, Whittingham skyrockets up this list due to the team's drastic improvement in their nine-win season last year. The Utes were in the nation's top 25 for most of the latter part of the year, and appeared to be in the conference title hunt until the very end. With Devontae Booker coming back in 2015, I wouldn't be surprised to see Utah in the hunt for their first Pac-12 South title.
6. Jim Mora, UCLA
There's a new king of Los Angeles with Mora at the helm for the Bruins. Mora is 3-0 against cross-town rival USC in his three years as head coach, as he and former quarterback Brett Hundley have revitalized the program into a potential national power. The flashy name and success of the former NFL head coach has been huge in garnering national attention from media and recruits, leading to high expectations in recent years. For two consecutive years, the Bruins have been considered "dark horse" candidates to win the Pac-12, and in both cases UCLA fell below expectations. The recruiting and two Pac-12 South titles are great, but can Mora lead his team to a win in a big game?
7. Chris Petersen, Washington
The track record is there. A Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma with Boise State was all that was needed to get Petersen on the national radar, and sustained success with the Broncos eventually led to him landing the job with the Huskies. The results, however, have not come yet in what was an up-and-down first season in Seattle in 2014.
8. Steve Sarkisian, USC
Sarkisian can recruit. He really can. But can he do much else? Cody Kessler was one of college football's top quarterbacks in his first year under Sark, but the Trojans failed to meet expectations and suffered through a couple of embarrassing losses (The "Jael Mary" against ASU, another loss to UCLA). The talent is there to dominate the Pac-12, but it's only a matter of having the coaching to do it.
9. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
Andersen made one of the most puzzling moves of the offseason when he decided to leave Wisconsin to head to Corvallis. After all, he had just led the Badgers to the Big Ten title game and had one of the most successful programs in college football during his two seasons there. Andersen was a solid coach in his two previous stops (Utah State, Wisconsin), but can he take a program that is average, at best, and turn it into a Pac-12 North contender? It remains to be seen.
10. Sonny Dykes, California
Before last season, Dykes would easily be No. 12 here. Cal is in the midst of a massive rebuild, but suddenly has the looks of one of the most promising teams in the conference after a strong bounce back year in 2014. With Jared Goff as a potential Heisman candidate, the Golden Bears can be an above-average program if their defense becomes average at the least.
11. Mike Leach, Washington State
This is, surprisingly, the same coach that took Texas Tech to the college football forefront in the mid-2000s. Since then, a myriad of off-the-field problems and questionable decisions on the field have left the Cougars in the conference cellar. This may be a make-or-break year for Wazzu.
12. Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
Last season's bottom-feeder, the Buffaloes have won just 2(!!) conference games since coming over from the Big XII three seasons ago. While I like the progress made on the recruiting trail and the pieces in place, there's still a ways to go for this team.
Here's how other writers for The State Press ranked their coaches for the "Conference of Champions":
Matthew Tonis, football reporter:
1. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
2. Todd Graham, ASU
3. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
4. David Shaw, Stanford
5. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
6. Chris Petersen, Washington
7. Jim Mora, UCLA
8. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
9. Steve Sarkisian, USC
10. Mike Leach, Washington State
11. Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
12. Sonny Dykes, Cal
Ian Beck, assistant sports editor:
1. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
2. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
3. David Shaw, Stanford
4. Jim Mora, UCLA
5. Todd Graham, ASU
6. Chris Petersen, Washington
7. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
8. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
9. Steve Sarkisian, USC
10. Sonny Dykes, Cal
11. Mike Leach, Washington State
12. Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
Stefan Modrich, sports editor:
1. David Shaw, Stanford
2. Jim Mora, UCLA
3. Todd Graham, ASU
4. Chris Petersen, Washington
5. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
6. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
7. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
8. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
9. Steve Sarkisian, USC
10. Mike Leach, Washington State
11. Sonny Dykes, Cal
12. Mike MacIntyre, Colroado
Justin Janssen, sports columnist
1. David Shaw, Stanford
2. Chris Petersen, Washington
3. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
4. Todd Graham, ASU
5. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
6. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
7. Jim Mora, UCLA
8. Steve Sarkisian, USC
9. Mike Leach, Washington State
10. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
11. Sonny Dykes, Cal
12. Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
Evan Webeck, sports features writer
1. Todd Graham, ASU
2. David Shaw, Stanford
3. Jim Mora, UCLA
4. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
5. Chris Petersen, Washington
6. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
7. Gary Andersen, Oregon State
8. Mark Helfrich, Oregon
9. Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
10. Sonny Dykes, Cal
11. Steve Sarkisian, USC
12. Mike Leach, Washington State
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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