Similarities striking for Arizona, UNLV

Mike Stoops arrived in town with his Arizona football team Tuesday evening, put the Wildcats through a snow-flurried practice the following morning, stepped inside the Lied Athletic Complex at UNLV and answered questions about his program's first bowl game in a decade.

Not lost was this irony: He stood directly below the floor that houses Rebels coach Mike Sanford. The comparisons are striking.

Stoops will direct his team against Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium, the first postseason game for the Wildcats under their coach and a stage they likely needed to reach for Stoops to continue shaping the program's future.

His record after four seasons: 17-29.

This year: A 7-5 mark and Internet rumors Thursday that Stoops is a leading candidate for the Iowa State opening.

Crazy. Winning apparently does change everything.

"Each program is different, and each has unique challenges," Stoops said. "There are certain steps that happen to any team that close the gaps on people. UNLV is a perfect example of a program on the cusp of doing something good. You can tell when a program is headed in the right direction. They've gone through some of the same things we have.

"You have to know who you are and where you are and what a reasonable expectation for your program is. Let's face it -- there are only so many Ohio States and Oklahomas and USCs. The rest of us have to work really hard to develop a program and stability within it."

Sanford knows of such challenge. He is 11-36 in four seasons and recently was presented a three-year contract extension, although the length merely is so that potential recruits feel a sense of constancy in UNLV's program.

The deal's attached buyout indicates an obvious message: UNLV must show continued improvement next season -- being bowl eligible would be a good start -- for Sanford to remain on the job.

It's how things should be. Sanford following his team's 5-7 season said he deserved a strong commitment from the university. He deserves a fifth year and nothing more at this point, at least until he proves capable of a winning season.

Allowing a coach to finish his original commitment more often than not is a reasonable decision if the program has advanced in other areas besides number of wins. That's not a popular opinion with most. The sharks smell blood sooner and sooner nowadays.

While patience is explained to children as a virtue, it can be more headache for athletic directors with angry fan bases hungry for winning teams. It's like everything. Instant gratification is more demanded than preferred. Fire now and hope for better later.

This kind of cycle can be vicious: San Diego State in 2009 will have its fourth head coach in nine seasons. Stan Brock recently was axed after two seasons at Army. Shane Montgomery didn't get a fifth year at Miami (Ohio) and nor did Brent Guy at Utah State. Ron Prince was dumped after three years at Kansas State.

"It's difficult (waiting for success)," Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said. "It's difficult for coaches and players and fans and boosters and athletic directors. I think it goes beyond football. This is as a societal thing. It's the age we live in. The quick-fix mentality.

"But while everyone has a different view on these things, when you have a good coach who is a good person and knows what he is talking about, you are better off allowing him the time to finish the job. The very next year could be 'the year,' when everything turns around. To me, it's a no-brainer.

"We've seen great growth in all areas under (Stoops). I asked him to build us a program, not a team. That takes time."

It was on the team's bus ride to practice Wednesday when Arizona running backs/tight ends coach Dana Dimel glanced out the window at UNLV's campus and thought about Rebels football.

Dimel was 23-12 as Wyoming's coach from 1997 to '99 before taking the head position at Houston. There, he went 8-26 and was fired after three years. He has seen the good and bad, highs and lows, winning and losing that college football offers. His idea of a fair rebuilding timeline is six years.

"UNLV is not an easy place to win at," Dimel said. "You have to work hard, and there is a lot of dedication involved. It was a really good decision to keep (Sanford) and give him another chance.

"I've been there. I know how long it takes to turn a program. It's a process."

One floor above him, a head coach headed toward a critical fifth season knows it all too well.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at 702-383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.