Before the season started, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit picked the Arizona State Sun Devils to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
And why not? The Devils were coming off their second straight 10-win season and had a ton of talent returning on both sides of the ball.
But just one week removed from a disappointing 6-7 season that ended with a frustrating Cactus Bowl loss to West Virginia, fellow ESPN analyst Mark May stated the obvious.
"That (prediction) didn't work out so well for Herbie," May said during Saturday's College Football Playoff media day session. "The offense didn't play well, the defense didn't play well and their special teams was horrendous this season."
But in terms of underachieving college football teams in the Grand Canyon State, May, who lives in Arizona, didn't single out the Sun Devils.
He noted the Arizona Wildcats, who went 7-6 and lost at ASU in their regular-season finale, experienced quite a drop-off from their Pac-12 South championship campaign one year earlier.
"They've got a lot to go back to the drawing board to, both UA and Arizona State," May said. "I think they're both kind of disappointments this season because most of us thought (one of them) would win the South this year, and neither of them really competed this year.
"It was a down season for both schools, and hopefully they can get it back together because, obviously, I live here and I want both schools do do well."
So, which program has a brighter future: Todd Graham's Sun Devils, or Rich Rodriguez's Wildcats?
"It all depends on who recruits better, and not only recruits better but who develops those players better," May said. "I think right now both of them are basically a scratch. They're not the teams they were a few years ago.
"It's going to be a good competition between the two to see who recruits and develops their players over the next two or three years."
