Brad Cesmat
Two bowl games, the next two Saturdays.
What’s not to like about these 2023 Sun Devils? The tight end plays some quarterback, the swinging gate shows up on my television screen, and Cam Skataboo throws a mean pass. Other than the thrashings by Fresno State and Utah, the kid coach has been able to deliver a competitive/entertaining product in season one. With Oregon and Arizona coming to Frank Kush Field in the next two weeks, it’s officially bowl season for the Sun Devils. Win either game, and it would give those who follow this program through the good and the bad a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the off-season. I understand that winning either game would be an upset, but this team almost won at Washington, so in my book, anything is possible with this undermanned bunch.
If you’re an Arizona Wildcat fan, you’re rooting for Arizona State to beat Oregon on Saturday. Let me repeat: you’re ROOTING for Arizona State to win a football game. Cats beat Utah, the Sun Devils beat Oregon, Arizona has a shot at the Pac-12 title game. A scenario that would make next week’s T-Cup far more interesting than usual…
How do Wilber and Wildcats not have a quarter of a Billion dollars accounted for? Wildcat fans can laugh all they want at ASU for the unmitigated disaster that has been the Ray Anderson/Herm Edwards era in football, but at least Always Something University didn’t wake up one day and say, “hmm, we can’t seem to figure out where 240-million dollars went.” President Robbins used the terms “draconian cuts” and “Everything is on the table in terms of dealing with athletics.” when discussing the issue. I think a billboard along I-10 is in order for this one…
He won’t do it, but President Crow should call Greg Byrne at Alabama. Greg is an Arizona State grad. He is as highly respected a name as you’ll find in his position.. Nick Saban isn’t going to be at Alabama forever. You never know when the best at what they do would want a change of scenery. I spent some time with Greg last March at the NCAA’s in Denver—such a class-act. Greg is the best in the business right now. I want the best…
Yes, other names are blowing around as Ray Andersons’ replacement. As a fundraiser within the Arizona State athletic department, Todd Graham would be intriguing. He has several BIG cigars in his corner, but he has a faction that would be dead set against him setting foot back on campus. Laugh all you want, but Todd fund-raised over $120-million back in 2015 for the stadium project. At the time, an Arizona State athletics spokesperson reminded me repeatedly how Graham had spoken at over 100 events that year to raise money. Of course, I responded, “That’s about 90 more speaking engagements than he should’ve made.” Coaches need to coach their teams first. Make the main thing, the main thing…
We’ve talked about David Benedict at UConn over the last two years. I’m all in favor of Charlee Turner Thorne and/or Jeff VanRaaphorst having a role. Would Rocky Harris take a pay cut to come back to Tempe?
Jordan Simone is still right…
What the President at Always Something University is thinking is the unknown in all of this. We can throw out lots of names that can fund-raise, get facilities built, handle NIL, want to go to West Virginia for a football game, etc, etc, etc, but the facts are that athletics is not as important to Dr. Crow as it is at other universities. His track record alone tells you all you need to know. He went to the mat for Larry Scott and the Pac-12 Network. While many of us heard and saw the repeated nonsense with football, all the President could do was grab his weekly fall photo-op under the goalposts after each game. Who will the search firm put on a list this time for the President? The last time he made a hire, it was Anderson. How did that end up working out?…
