When reviewing the 25 FBS coaches hired after the 2011 season, UCLA's Jim Mora, Arizona State's Todd Graham and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez entered the fall ranked among the most successful. For one, each had won a Pac-12 South Division title.
While Ohio State's Urban Meyer was a clear No. 1 when compared to coaches entering their fifth season, Mora ranked No. 2 in wins, Graham No. 4 and Rodriguez fifth. Mora had averaged 9.3 wins per season, Graham 8.5 and Rodriguez 8.3.
Yet when the dust cleared on the 2016 campaign, those three found themselves at the bottom of the South Division with losing records, following a downturn that began the previous season.