Arizona State Football: 5 reasons Todd Graham is on the hot seat

4. Tough losses to in-state rival Arizona

Overall, Graham is 3-2 against the Arizona Wildcats, but those two losses are especially painful.

In 2014, Arizona State was primed for a return trip to the Pac-12 Championship, but lost to in-state rival Arizona, 42-35. Admittedly, both losses came on the road, which is a little more forgivable.

Also, after watching Arizona get whipped by then third-ranked Oregon, the Arizona State faithful should have at least realistically expected a similar outcome. After all, the Sun Devils lost a close match to Oregon’s lesser in-state rival, Oregon State, just weeks earlier.

Still, an appearance, even a loss, would have been easier to swallow because it would have meant a better overall record, a win against the in-state rival and a trip to a more prestigious bowl game.

Last season, the loss to Arizona had less to do with the season’s outcome and more to do with pride. Arizona won only one conference game in 2016 and that came at the hands of the Sun Devils. That makes for a difficult loss to swallow, and while the season was already lost, a win might have meant an appearance in a bowl game instead of an outright losing season.