Arizona State Is Chris Petersen's Best Option If He Decides to Leave Boise State
If the Boise State Broncos' head coach, Chris Petersen, is going to make a move to the Pac-12 this offseason, he should make that move to the Arizona State Sun Devils to replace recently-fired head coach Dennis Erickson. While the UCLA Bruins plan on making Petersen their No. 1 target, there is no doubt that the Sun Devils present a better situation. The critics seem to agree.
While the Bruins are in the Pac-12 Championship Game, representing the southern half of the conference, the Sun Devils were a much better team this season. They didn't finish well, but anyone could tell that this team has the pieces to win big. The Sun Devils started out the year 5-1 while getting the hardest part of their schedule out of the way. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, they couldn't finish out the season, and that resulted in a 1-5 record over their last six games.
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The Bruins, on the other hand, were awful.
Yes, they won the division, but they are lucky that the Sun Devils fell apart and that the USC Trojans are ineligible. Speaking of the Trojans, they defeated the Bruins 50-0 in the final game of the regular season. The Sun Devils beat the Trojans 43-22. Clearly, this Sun Devils team has a lot more going for them than the Bruins do.
Petersen, if he decides to leave his perch at Boise State, would find his quickest success with the Sun Devils. They have many great pieces in place, including quarterback Brock Osweiler, running backs Cameron Marshall and Deantre Lewis, middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict (if he returns), wide receiver Jamal Miles and cornerback Omar Bolden. Besides Bolden and Lewis, these were the players who led the Sun Devils to great success in the beginning of the season.
A coach like Petersen likely could have taken this 2011 team to an 11-1 record, with only a loss to the Oregon Ducks. They shouldn't have lost to Illinois in Week 3, and the final four losses to the Bruins, Washington State Cougars, Arizona Wildcats and Cal Golden Bears wouldn't have happened. They shouldn't have happened.
Petersen has proven over the years that he is a great coach. With only six losses in as many seasons, there is no doubt that Petersen can coach. Sure, the Broncos have been in relatively weak conferences—the WAC up until 2010, and now the Mountain West Conference—but still, he isn't losing and you can't hold that against him. In a small conference, that much success has its limits.
With a move to the Pac-12, Petersen could be in a bigger conference and hope that his success will bring him better results. Boise State has been consistent at making at large bowl games with its records, but even going undefeated in 2006 and 2009 couldn't land it in the title game.
He may find himself and the Broncos out of luck this bowl season as well. Even though his team is 10-1, their only big win was against a Georgia Bulldogs team that got off to an extremely slow start. Besides that game, their next biggest game was against the TCU Horned Frogs, which turned out to be their only loss on the season. With the rest of their schedule being weak, the Broncos may not find themselves going to any major bowl game.
Imagine the success Petersen could have in a bigger conference. He is already getting great players at Boise State, but the appeal of playing in the Pac-12 against teams like the USC Trojans and the Ducks is much greater. Petersen could be able to appeal to a much wider audience by joining a BCS conference.
If Petersen can translate his success to the Sun Devils next season, then they could potentially be in a great position in 2012 without going through a major rebuilding process. With Boise State this season, his team has only committed 59 penalties compared to the Sun Devils' 94 (fourth highest in FBS play). There is no reason shake things up; the players are there. The only thing the Sun Devils need is a better coach who understands how to teach discipline.
There is no doubt that there is appeal to the UCLA job. If Petersen is going to leave now after everything he has built at Boise State, it would be best to take his talents to a team that potentially could have immediate success.
It remains to be seen where Petersen decides to go following this season. If he does decide to explore his options, there is no doubt that he will be the most coveted coach. With only so many vacancies, the Sun Devils stand a chance to bring some success to what has been a dreadful end to a season.
Jeff Chase is from Chicago and is an undergrad at Arizona State University. He currently is interning with B/R and is in the process of becoming a Featured Columnist for Arizona State football.
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