This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As of Sunday's weekly update, the cold calculations of ESPN's College Football Index gave Utah less than a 25-percent chance of beating USC in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. The human perspective appears much more favorable to the Utes now, amid the Trojans' coaching upheaval. Steve Sarkisian was officially terminated Monday by athletic director Pat Haden, removing any possibility that Sarkisian would have returned from an "indefinite" leave of absence sometime this season. If anything, that clarification should help the USC players, who won't be wondering if or when Sarkisian would be coming back. And some percentage of these players were part of a team that responded well two years ago after an in-season firing. Most observers' minds are turning to who will replace Sarkisian permanently, with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham already a popular name amid the speculation. The more immediate issue for Utah fans is the same as it was 24 hours ago: How will the shakeup affect next week's game? The Trojans will be coming home after an emotional rivalry game at Notre Dame, where offensive coordinator Clay Helton will make his debut as interim coach. Helton has some experience in a makeshift situation. He became USC's play-caller in October 2013 after the firing of coach Lane Kiffin. Ed Orgeron was the interim coach that year and he repeatedly expressed admiration for how the assistant coaches performed, while not knowing what was ahead for them after the season. As it turned out, Haden hired Sarkisian from Washington instead of retaining Orgeron, although Helton remained on the staff. He's the play-caller again, inheriting those duties from Sarkisian. USC beat Utah 19-3 in 2013 with Orgeron and Helton in major roles, but that outcome was probably more attributable to Ute quarterback Travis Wilson's hand injury than any other factor. – Kurt Kragthorpe