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What's holding these two programs back from really turning to that next level. They both are so incredibly inconsistent. It seems like a 8-4 season at ASU is good and 10-3 is the ceiling. For Arizona, a 7-5 season is good and 9-4 or 10-3 is superb. Arizona is a highly populated state...roughly around 7 million. Arizona borders California, the most populated state. Neither have daunting academic hurdles for their athletes and students. They both play in an elite conference. Is it facilities? Fanbase? Apathy? Recruiting/high school football? What's holding these two (potential gold mines) back?

For one thing, it's a state with a population filled with transplants. There is no loyalty to staying in-state for college. Any worthwhile recruits always seem to venture elsewhere.

Take a look at the past few recruiting classes for the entire state. This is a breakdown of how many of the top 15 players in Arizona, as rated by Rivals, signed with an out-of-state institution:

2015 10/15
2014 8/15
2013 9/15
2012 10/15

There is little vested interest in staying loyal to the state because I am willing to bet that most athletes weren't born and raised in Arizona. Louisiana has one of the highest proportions of natives to transplants populations of any state in the Union. That is one of the main reasons why the majority of top flight talent typically signs with LSU, as long as LSU is successful.

Homegrown Population Statistics

Only two states have a lower homegrown population percentage: Nevada and Florida. Florida's is due in large part to the influx of Cuban immigrants and the departure of Snow Birds from the Northeast and New England.

On the other hand, 78.8% of Louisiana's population has been born and raised in Louisiana. That's more than twice the percentage of Arizona's native population.