TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Petersen was finally persuaded by his gut.

For years, Petersen was perfectly content. Yet something about Washington — the facilities, the setting, the conference, the history — all combined to finally give Petersen the feeling he needed to make a move.

So gone was the comfort of being at Boise State. And accepted was the task of accelerating Washington’s rise.

Steve Sarkisian rebuilt the foundation of the Huskies program, inheriting a winless team and returning it to respectability. Washington won nine games last season for the first time since 2000, but remained stuck behind Oregon and Stanford in the Pac-12 North.

Petersen’s job is figuring out a way to leap over the Cardinal and Ducks.

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