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Pasadena in January is warm and mild. They have a football game there. You might've heard about it.
If the Utah football team keeps winning for the rest of the regular season, Rose Bowl management committee chair Scott Jenkins would love the Utes to stop by.
"It's the granddaddy of them all," he said. "I think the fans would go crazy."
Utah fans may fan themselves thinking about going to the Rose Bowl, a game that has been a goal since the Utes joined the conference five years ago, but has lingered out of reach until this season. Entering Saturday night undefeated, Utah finds itself in the position of being on a short list of potential Pac-12 representatives.
The last time Jenkins came to the University of Utah, he came bearing roses. It was a gift for the Utes, who had just accepted a bid to the conference. Utah hasn't smelled roses much since.
This year, that could change — as long as Utah comes in first or second in the Pac-12 standings. Oregon and Stanford have split the past four Rose Bowl berths, and bowl officials are always hopeful for change.
"It's great if you just have good teams and they win every year, but you know the fan interest kind of wanes," he said. "What we really love is getting new teams and new fans and a lot of enthusiasm. That's what we kind of crave."
Jenkins and his colleague Jerome Cannon came to the Utes game Saturday evening, driving around a bit before discovering Utah's large tailgating crowd. With another sellout crowd against Arizona State, there's definitely passion for Utah football the bowl officials look for.
But of all years to go to the Rose Bowl, this might be one Utah fans hope to skip. This year, the College Football Playoff runs through the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl. The Utes still could be in contention for one of the four spots at the end of the year.
Utah fans certainly hope for the best. But the program's first-ever Rose Bowl wouldn't be such a bad consolation prize if the Utes can secure it.
Hansen suits up as safety
Freshman quarterback Chase Hansen was sporting a new number on Saturday night — as well as a new position.
Donning No. 22 and going through pre-game warm-ups with the safeties, Hansen has made at least a temporary position switch this year as he bolsters the depth of a thin position that where Andre Godfrey was injured last week, Kyle Whittingham said.
Hansen played special teams and actually saw time at safety in the second half when Marcus Williams "was banged up."
"We play our good players and he's one of them," Whittingham said. "So if we can get him on the field, we'll do that. He's still our third-string quarterback, but you'll see him in the secondary as the season goes on."
Chase Hansen played some safety at Lone Peak High. At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, it's been speculated more than once that Hansen might try his hand at defense. He decided to, his father Brian Hansen told the Tribune, as a way to get more playing time after getting some late game quarterback reps against Oregon.
Whittingham declined to comment more on Godfrey's and Williams' injurys, only specifying that Godfrey was not lost for the season.
Matthew Piper contributed to this report.
Twitter: @kylegoon