The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Sarkis Arslanian

Followed Jerry Wampfler. Sarkis Arslanian moved Colorado State from Regional Program IV to Regional Program II in 9 seasons.

45–47
1973–1981 · 1 stint
Colorado State
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerCOLORADO STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelColorado State, 1973: 5-6, Regional Program IV1973Colorado State, 1974: 4-6, Regional Program III1974Colorado State, 1975: 6-5, Regional Program III1975Colorado State, 1976: 6-5, Regional Program III1976Colorado State, 1977: 9-2, Regional Program II1977Colorado State, 1978: 5-6, Regional Program II1978Colorado State, 1979: 4-7, Regional Program I1979Colorado State, 1980: 6-4, Regional Program II1980Colorado State, 1981: 0-6, Regional Program III1981+10.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Colorado State, 9 seasons
+10.0
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

5–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Jim Young.

Rivalry record
5–3
62.5% · 1 rival
One-score games
17–8–4
58.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Wyoming5–362%
The toughest matchup
vs. Jim Young0–4
4 meetings, 1973–1976
’73 L’74 L’75 L’76 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
1–10 9.1%
National Program
7–16 30.4%
Regional Program
30–14 68.2%

Coaching career

1973–1981
Colorado Statecaretakerborderline
Regional Program IV → Regional Program II
Sarkis Arslanian moved Colorado State from Regional Program IV to Regional Program II in 9 seasons.

4th-best Colorado State tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Jerry Wampfler (1970–1972) · succeeded by Leon Fuller (1982–1988).

13 NFL Draft picks: Perry Smith (1973), Mark Mullaney (1975), Al Simpson (1975), Kim Jones (1975), Kevin McLain (1976), Keith King (1977), Al Baker (1978), Cliff Featherstone (1978) + 5 more

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