At Washington, Sarkisian has waterfront view with peak in sight

SEATTLE – From his office, Steve Sarkisian looks out on a sweeping panorama of the rebuilt Husky Stadium with Lake Washington beyond. He sees a program he believes is finally climbing back toward relevance. The 19th-ranked Huskies have an opportunity Saturday, when they host No. 2 Oregon, to take an important step toward a return to college football's upper crust.

But opportunity might call on Sarkisian, too. He can see the question coming. Would he leave if USC calls? He won't discuss hypothetical scenarios, but he also knows the question isn't going away.

Still only 39 in his fifth season as Washington's head coach, Sarkisian has one of the grandest views in college football – and he believes, one of the best jobs. But most would consider USC a better job, and Sarkisian an obvious candidate.

Sarkisian was the other hot young offensive assistant on Pete Carroll's staff at USC, and he might be a long shot for that reason. After trying Lane Kiffin, it's possible the Trojans might want to try something different.

Meanwhile – while this whole subject remains hypothetical – Sarkisian sounds committed to the task of rebuilding a proud program. Once a national power, the Huskies believe they can and should return to that status. Sarkisian sounds like he's committed to the task.

"I came here with a vision that we were gonna win championships," Sarkisian said. "I came here with the goal of being the head coach here longer than Don James, of winning more Rose Bowls than Don James, and winning one more national championship than Don James. That hasn't changed. The people here at the University of Washington have been tremendous to me and my family in supporting me and the mission we've been on. So it's a pretty simple one for me to answer."

In a strange twist, Kiffin is here this week. He'll be interviewed by ESPN College GameDay on Saturday; he toured the Huskies' facilities Friday. Sarkisian said Kiffin is "doing OK."

Sarkisian wouldn't speculate on why Kiffin wasn't successful at USC.

"It's been five years since I've been (on the USC staff), so I really don't know," he said. "I can't imagine it's been easy with the (NCAA) sanctions, but I'm not sure. Two years ago, they were 10-2, you know?"

Five years ago, the Huskies were 0-12, and Tyrone Willingham was on his way out – and Sarkisian was plucked from Carroll's staff. The rebuild hasn't been easy – certainly not as simple or even as short as the nearly complete rebuilding of Husky Stadium, a venerable landmark that had not aged well. For $281 million, new Husky Stadium combines a historic feel with modern amenities. It's a necessary platform, Sarkisian believes, from which to relaunch the program to relevance.

"There are so many cool things about this place that the person out of here doesn't really know about," Sarkisian says. "They don't really realize how much of a football town Seattle is. Right now I don't know how many people really realize the rich tradition and history that this program has. So much of what people know is recent history."

Recent history includes nine consecutive losses to Oregon. A fierce rivalry that was historically dominated by the Huskies has been turned completely upside down. But after playing well in a close loss last week at Stanford, Washington showed signs it might be ready to challenge in the Pac-12 North.

"We're comfortable being 4-1. We're comfortable being a top 10 team," Sarkisian said. "We feel like this is where we're supposed to be and that this game is supposed to matter. When Washington and Oregon meet the game is supposed to matter, not just for bragging rights."

And he added: "What we're missing is on us," Sarkisian said, "that we're not a Top 10, Top 15 program – and we have to earn that."