Utah — finally — in Pac-12

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY

The Utah Utes are BCS busters no more.

A celebration at the state Capitol marked Utah’s transition Friday from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12, one of the six BCS conferences. Nearly 2,000 people gathered to listen to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and a host of other dignitaries.

Scott said Utah, which was the first non-BCS school to play in a BCS bowl game, brings a healthy combination of academic and athletic success to make the school a perfect fit in the league.

“They’re very competitive across the board right away,” Scott said. “They’ve certainly demonstrated that in football. They’ve got a pretty impressive record in terms of BCS games and their success in bowls.”

Utah athletic director Chris Hill said the Utes look forward to facing the challenges ahead.

“We don’t want to talk about not winning,” Hill said. “What we want to talk about is competing so our fans can be proud of us. We’re not afraid of the high expectations. It’s not easy, but at the same time our fans expect us to do well.”