All but one year of Washington coach Chris Petersen's 31 on the sidelines have been spent in the West. And yet, Saturday's matchup pitting his No. 10-ranked Huskies against UCLA marks Petersen's first game coached at Rose Bowl Stadium.
"I love going to all different venues, all over the country," Petersen said. "That's part of the pageantry of college football."
With its majestic, San Gabriel Mountains backdrop, and decades of history, the Rose Bowl plays its own special part in that pageantry. Petersen has never been part of the Rose Bowl legacy, despite coaching four teams in Bowl Championship Series and New Year's Six games -- two at Boise State, two at Washington -- and twice meeting UCLA head-to-head.