Utah Utes football: Steve Sarkisian thinks Utes great fit for Pac-10, but warns of challenges

PASADENA, Calif. — Washington's Steve Sarkisian knows a thing or two about the Utah Utes. As BYU's starting quarterback in 1995-96, he split a pair of games with them. As a coach, he's taken note of their success on the field.

Soon he'll get to see more of them.

Utah will begin play in the Pac-10 in 2011 and join Sarkisian's Huskies in competing for a berth in the Rose Bowl.

"I think it's great for the league. I think they've obviously been a program that has been successful for years now," Sarkisian said while dismissing any perception that the Utes have only recently been successful. "They've been doing this for years. They've been playing really good football. Salt Lake is a beautiful city. It's a great market for the Pac-10 to get into, and I think they're a great fit."

There will be some challenges, however.

Sarkisian thinks the biggest difference the Utes will face in moving from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-10 is the difficult schedule.

"We all feel it in the beginning of November," he said of the challenge of facing a Cal one week, then an Oregon, then a UCLA, then a USC, then an Arizona, etc.

It's much different, Sarkisian explained, than just facing one of them in the preseason.

"It's the physical pounding that your team takes," he said. "That ability to stay fresh late in the year to win those games is the real challenge."

Even so, Sarkisian expects the Utes to be competitive right away

"They've done a nice job recruiting. Kyle has done a tremendous job recruiting," he said. "They're a physical football team naturally already. So I think they'll be fine."

Sarkisian is not the only one.

The Pac-10's other nine head coaches also had positive things to say about Utah joining the league. Here's what they had to share:

MIKE STOOPS, Arizona: "I think it's awesome. They bring some modern tradition. When you look at what they've done ever since Urban (Meyer) was there and since he left, I think they've established themselves on a national level — what they've been able to accomplish out there. So I think it's a neat place. I've been out there, I know it's a tough place to play. But again, we're excited to have both Utah and Colorado in the conference."

DENNIS ERICKSON, Arizona State: "It's great for our league. They do such a great job football-wise. Salt Lake City is a great city. I've spent time there and great fans and the TV markets ... To me it's a great addition. I like the idea of having 12 teams in our league and splitting it up and having a playoff. Getting them and Colorado is really beneficial for us."