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It was a tight squeeze for Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, getting from Tempe, Arizona, to Salt Lake City in one day.
But though he was still beaming from Arizona State's convincing win over Notre Dame, he wanted to be at Rice-Eccles Stadium for a game made much more intriguing by the resurgence of Utah football.
"Obviously a great football tradition here," he said. "I know there was some frustration in the first few years in the conference when they weren't doing as well, but great fan base here around football, great excitement. There was an adjustment, clearly, coming into the conference on many levels."
Scott touched on a number of topics, but maybe none as relevant recently as the College Football Playoff. Scott explained that his contact with the selection committee is limited — the 10 FBS commissioners speak on a group call three times a year — but he said the playoff system is building as much excitement for the national championship as ever.
He communicates more frequently with the CFP committee members who directly monitor the conference, Tom Osborne and Mike Gould. Scott said he felt the Pac-12's nine-game conference schedule and title game help sets the conference up for good rankings in by the committee.
"I think that will favor us in the long run," he said. "Other conferences are moving toward that."
On late games, Scott said he understands the times are "challenging" for fans, and that the conference attempts to spread out the late starts. But ultimately late starts are some of the conference's best-rated games and will continue.
Utah without Carter
The likelihood of Tevin Carter's return is looking doubtful after the senior safety didn't start Saturday night.
Again, Utah sent out freshman Marcus Williams in Carter's stead. Carter has not played since leaving the UCLA on Oct. 4 game early.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham speculated early in the week that the Utes have a good shot of getting a medical redshirt for Carter, and would likely pursue that option if he wasn't ready to play against Oregon.
Weddle joins crowd
Utah had a special visitor for the game Saturday: Former All-American safety Eric Weddle.
The current San Diego Charger was down on the field prior to and during Utah's matchup with the Ducks. The bearded bruiser even got some camera time during a media timeout, waving to the sellout crowd with his son in his arms.
Weddle is well-remembered as a four-year starter and standout two-way player who was a part of the undefeated 2004 season.
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