Arizona State Football: 5 reasons why Sun Devils will struggle in 2017

3. Todd Graham will do just enough to keep his job

Honestly, the question Sun Devils fans should be asking is whether they really want to retain Todd Graham as head coach. He realized some early success, but did so mostly with Dennis Erickson’s recruits. The past few years, once the roster turned over to his own players, things have turned south in Tempe.

That is also despite the fact that recruiting hasn’t necessarily been the issue. Between 2014 and 2016, the Sun Devils ranked in the top 25 in the nation in composite recruiting rankings. In the most recent recruiting cycle, their class ranked 32nd — hardly a precipitous drop.

Related Story: Arizona State Football: Projected 2-deep depth chart for 2017

Maybe, just maybe, Todd Graham isn’t the brilliant coach he has been made out to be. Perhaps things would stink a bit less if Graham was no longer at Arizona State. After last year, he canned his coordinators in hopes of stemming criticism. There is no guarantee the ploy will work long term, but the infusion of new coaching could do just enough to get ASU into a bowl game.

If the Sun Devils get to the postseason, it will probably be enough to save Graham’s job for another season. That could be positive or negative, depending on who you ask. Either way, it only prolongs the stench of mediocrity that has begun to accumulate around this program.