Holiday Bowl’s selection process made the Utes agonize until the very end

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah president, Ruth Watkins, jokes with head coach Kyle Whittingham, and athletic director Mark Harlan, after a news conference about the new stadium expansion, at Rice-Eccles stadium, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.Utah athletic director Mark Harlan stood on the Levi's Stadium sideline during the Pac-12 football championship game, with several thousand Ute fans behind him. In the third quarter of a tie game with Washington, Harlan could picture those people following the team to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Harlan had spent an awkward final week of November hoping Utah would qualify for the Rose Bowl as conference champion, while knowing his…