PASADENA, Calif. -- Most of the Rose Bowl was empty, but Utah quarterback Troy Williams wasn't ready to leave. His Utes already beat USC earlier in the season and this win, against UCLA, gave him the sweep against his hometown schools.

Long after UCLA -- and most of his teammates -- cleared the field, Williams did not. Several hundred Utah fans stuck around to celebrate and Williams, smiling ear to ear, looked up at them and let it all soak in. He pointed to the stands, they erupted in cheers.

This, he thought, was exactly what he was looking for when he committed to Utah out of Santa Monica College last year.

"Coming to Utah was a no-brainer," he said, finally walking back toward the locker room. "They gave me a chance to get back into the Pac-12, and the reason that's important is from what is coming next week."

What's coming is a meeting against his old team: Washington. The fourth-ranked Huskies (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) are the prohibitive favorites in the Pac-12 and enter Saturday's game against No. 17 Utah (7-1, 4-1) at Rice-Eccles Stadium (12:30 p.m. PT, FS1) well-positioned for a run at the College Football Playoff.

For Williams, though, the records and rankings aren't what matter. This game is personal.

He arrived in Seattle as the No. 3-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2013 ready to play for the first man to offer him a scholarship: Steve Sarkisian.

"He chose that place because of Sark," said Tim Kaub, Williams' offensive coordinator at Narbonne High School and again at SMC. "Sark really believed in him."

But their time together was short-lived. Williams redshirted in Sarkisian's last season before he left to coach USC, and Williams' relationship with Sarkisian's replacement, Chris Petersen, never blossomed. He started one game for the Huskies in 2014, but by that point he was already intent on finding a fresh start somewhere else.

"I just wasn't one of [Petersen's] guys," Williams told ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City. "I think that's what it really came down to."

It was a frustrating time for Williams, who would communicate often with Kaub. They discussed potential transfer options, and Kaub sent out some feelers to four-year schools outside the Pac-12.

"There were about four or five schools that were really interested, but Troy understood he would have to sit out a year and that could create the possibility that an underclassmen could further entrench himself in the job," Kaub said. "He told me, 'Well, why don't I just come play for you and I can go play for whoever wants me the next year?' "

So, that's what he did.

Back home, Williams was 10-0 as the starter at Santa Monica. He threw for 2,750 yards and 31 touchdowns to only four interceptions and the team averaged more than 50 points per game. Williams was needed in the fourth quarter on only two occasions.

He took an unofficial visit to Utah in the summer of 2015, and after receiving an offer from the Utes midway through the season, he committed. Williams joined the team for spring practice and was named the starter in fall camp. A short time later, having never played a game for the team, Williams was voted a team captain.

"This week [against Washington] is what he has worked so hard for. That's what he's at Utah for," Kaub said. "He's a guy who has a chip on his shoulder. He played with a surliness for me last year because he literally wanted every touchdown to be heard in Seattle."

The reality here is that everything has worked out for both parties. Washington surely wouldn't trade its Heisman candidate, sophomore Jake Browning, for Williams, and Williams is starting for the team that is perhaps best-equipped to give the Huskies a regular-season blemish.

Back on the field at the Rose Bowl, Williams could hardly wait for the chance.

"I'm just blessed to be in this position to be back at this level surrounded by this group of guys," he said. “Those are my brothers [at Washington], no matter what. I left, but those are my brothers. I have great friendships with them, but I'm excited to go up against them."

In eight games with his new team, Williams has thrown for 1,725 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He has completed only 29 of 66 passes (43.9 percent) for 466 yards with one touchdown and one interception the past three weeks, but Utah keeps finding ways to win.

If the Utes win again, Williams won't have to worry about them hearing about it in Seattle.