[tps_title]Coaching legends established themselves in fourth season[/tps_title]
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Joe Paterno was 24-7-1 in his first three seasons at Penn State. He was 11-0 in his fourth season.
Bobby Bowden was 23-11 in his first three seasons at Florida State. He was 11-1 in his fourth season.
Paul “Bear” Bryant was 23-7-5 in his first three seasons at Alabama. He was 11-0 in his fourth season.
Woody Hayes was 16-9-2 in his first three seasons at Ohio State. He was 10-0 in his fourth season.
Combined, these coaching legends were 86-34-8 (70.3 percent) in their first three seasons. They were 43-1 (97.7 percent) in their fourth season.
Rodriguez has won 65 percent of his games in his first three seasons at Arizona with a 26-14 record. Although an 11-1 record is far-fetched because of the highly-competitive nature of the Pac-12 South, Rodriguez can still conceivably go 9-3 or possibly 10-2 if his team stays healthy through an arduous 12-game schedule without a bye week.
The biggest difference between the group of Paterno, Bowden, Bryant and Hayes, and Rodriguez is the competitive balance. It is difficult to comprehend what those four coaches faced on their schedule compared to what Rodriguez will go against with UCLA, USC, ASU, Utah, Stanford, Oregon State, etc., week after week.
Rodriguez has instilled a winning mentality in the program in his first three seasons. Fans have come to expect at least eight wins from him and his staff. No reason exists they will not produce similar success this season. At Arizona, which is starved for football relevancy on a national scale, that’s good enough right now. The 11-win seasons can come in the next couple of seasons.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.[/tps_footer]
