Pac-12: Steve Sarkisian, Chris Petersen both face former teams in 2015

The aftereffects of the 2013 coaching carousel will continue to be felt for the USC and Washington football teams this season.

USC Coach Steve Sarkisian and the Trojans will face Washington, a team Sarkisian coached for five seasons, on Oct. 8, for the first time since he left the program more than a year ago.

Many players Sarkisian recruited and coached remain on the Huskies’ roster.

“Coach Sark is not playing on that field, so it’s about the players,” said Washington Coach Chris Petersen, when asked how his team would respond to playing against Sarkisian and several other former assistants.

“USC will be one of the better teams in the country and that’s enough motivation right there and enough focus,” Petersen said.

Petersen, whom Washington hired after Sarkisian accepted the job at USC, will face a similar situation when the Huskies open the season at Boise State -- where Petersen coached for eight seasons.

Petersen said players in both contests must maintain focus on the game and not coach-player reunions.

“You can definitely be out of your emotional element, and you see that a lot,” Petersen said. “You can get too up for games and those type of things.”

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