Then there is his new contract. Whittingham's watershed season earned a five-year deal worth $1.2 million per year, which puts him at or near the top of the Mountain West Conference.

Nothing boosts the ol' self esteem like nearly doubling your salary.

Whittingham's deal is also more than twice what Meyer was making at Utah.

That said, Whittingham truly has changed. He is more confident, less worried about what is said or what he says.

The 2008 Utes even looked like his team. Meyer's 2004 Utes were known as an offensive behemoth, while Whittingham's team was defined by great defense.

This year's team had Whittingham's attitude.

If eight sacks in the Sugar Bowl mean anything.

Whittingham has settled into a place somewhere between former coaches McBride and Meyer. He's not as garrulous as McBride or as slick as Meyer ... But he has his own low-key, likable style.

You won't find him leading the pep band like McBride or watching the cameras out of the corner of his eye like Meyer. But you will find him coaching the brains out of his team.

This season, he finally removed the "Urban" asterisk from the program, once and for all.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com