Historically, schools are either very good at football or basketball, but not both. There have been exceptions, including Florida, Michigan, Texas and Ohio State. But those ADs have exceptional resources. Arizona doesn't have those resources and will always be, first and foremost, a basketball school. The football season is an afterthought down there. So long as the basketball team is killing it, Arizona's AD's job is safe.
From a recruiting standpoint, Arizona is second fiddle to ASU in its own state. That's why, in the long run, ASU has a higher ceiling in football than Arizona.
Despite the above, I have a hard time explaining why, with the current state of our program, our long term ceiling is higher than Arizona's. A few years ago, I would've claimed a richer football history and better recruiting out of Texas, but Texas recruiting is close to dead and that history is getting further and further in the rearview mirror. Many will tell you it should be easier to recruit to Boulder, but I'm an alumnus of both schools and Arizona isn't a shabby place to spend a few years either. I still think our ceiling is higher, but to explain why I have to revert to the fact that our AD appears to be prioritizing football, and that we've been to the mountaintop in the past. Not a great answer.