NEW ORLEANS — The Utes arrived in the Big Easy on Saturday, to help launch a historic week for the Sugar Bowl.

Not that they have anything to do with that history. It's only coincidence their Jan. 2 matchup with Alabama marks the bowl's 75th anniversary.

Still, it's been that kind of a year for the Utes. Right place, right time. A mega-bowl reaches a milestone, and what do the Utes do? They just happen to be in the neighborhood.

A high-end neighborhood at that.

It's a bowl rich in pedigree and tradition. For instance, the original Sugar Bowl trophy is an antique silver wine cooler made in London during the reign of King George IV (1830).

For their part, the Utes haven't been around nearly that long. They just arrived on the scene yesterday.

Better late than never.

Although their invitation to a BCS bowl was big news in Utah, not so much everywhere else. It's hard to impress a bowl that has hosted 22 national championship teams and 14 Heisman winners. Truthfully, Utah is just another ingredient in a 75-year, 48-school gumbo.

Even being undefeated shouldn't raise many eyebrows. Utah is the 46th team to come to New Orleans with an unblemished record.

This is a bowl that, like the French Quarter itself, has pretty much seen and done everything. It has hosted legendary coaches Bear Bryant, Frank Broyles, Vince Dooley, Pop Warner and Joe Paterno.

The game has seen most of the big-name teams: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida State, Auburn, Nebraska, Miami, Notre Dame, Pen State, Ohio State, Texas and Michigan, to name a few.

At the same time, the Utes need not feel terribly out of place. Three teams currently in the Mountain West Conference (TCU, Air Force, Wyoming) have already played here.

OK, the last time was 38 years ago, but still.

Utah is far from being the most obscure team ever to play in the Sugar Bowl. Carnegie-Mellon, formerly known as Carnegie Tech, played in the 1939 Sugar Bowl, losing 15-7 to TCU. Humble little Santa Clara played twice, in 1937 and 1938, upsetting Louisiana State both times.

St. Mary's played in the '46 game, losing to Oklahoma State.

Fordham outlasted Missouri in the 1942 Sugar Bowl in a soccer-like 2-0 game.

Hawaii played and lost last year.

So Utah isn't the smallest of the small fries.

For Alabama, this is old stuff. It is the Tide's 13th appearance, tied with with LSU for the most of any team.