SEATTLE -- Then-Washington athletic director Scott Woodward learned of USC's earnest pursuit of his football coach, Steve Sarkisian, at the end of the 2013 regular season, while he was sitting in Sarkisian's office inside Husky Stadium. Immediately, his mind switched gears and looked forward. This was business, not personal, and Woodward was already thinking about who would sit behind the desk next.
"[Sarkisian] was saying, 'Hey, it’s going to be a tough decision,'" said Woodward, now the athletic director at Texas A&M. "I said, 'No, it’s not. I get it.' And he said, 'No, it really is.