It’s not yet official, but it appears that USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will replace Ty Willingham at Washington. He has denied it through USC, but that means nothing – the season is still on and USC has a game to prepare for. This move gives us a lot to think about:

1. It seems a bit surprising that a USC coordinator would move to another Pac-10 school. They would know first hand how hard it is to beat USC, and that there isn’t a good chance to win the conference as long as Pete Carroll is in town. Perhaps this is a sign that Pete Carroll doesn’t intend to stay at USC for the long term.

2. I’m surprised that Sarkisian took this job. He was a finalist at Oakland last year, so he obviously has some game. Washington is a head coaching job at a school that was once great, but the school is in such a mess that  there is a good chance thatSarkisian won’t be able to turn it around in time. With several good jobs open or opening, and the Lane Kiffin hiring at Tennessee showing the obvious respect afforded to USC coordinators, it seems like Sarkisian could have held out for a better gig. On the other hand, given how bad the Huskies are, the coach can be sure that he won’t be faced with unrealistic expectations in his first couple of years. Any win would be a massive improvement.

3. I’m also a bit surprised that Washington made this choice. They reportedly interviewed a lot of talented, proven coaches – Hill, Leach, Kelly. It seems risky, then, to put your faith in a young, unproven coordinator who has had solid but not exactly earth-shattering results with the Trojans. The USC offense was in decent shape whenSarkisian took it over, and he hasn’t done much to advance it. He knows the conference well, and he has been able to absorb knowledge from the best there is for a couple of years, but it still doesn’t seem like he was the best risk for a team that can’t afford another mistake.