That does seem like a good direction to test, but I don't think it fully lines up. At one point the bottom middle was the only one working. Now the front middle is the only one of the the front three that's properly lit. Also, I already tried significant reordering. One additional info, if I try to plug them in while running - I see a red ring pop-up (initially I did this without the system running - but now I'm getting more desperate).
I'm adding a photo to try to show the current look. Please excuse cabling. The rear fan is non-rgb, and thus not attached to the controller.
Thank you for your help, I'll be gone for most of this week for a conference. Returning thursday evening.