LOS ANGELES — UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said he has received indications he is on San Diego State's list of candidates to fill the Aztecs' vacant head coaching job but has not had formal talks with university officials.

"Until somebody makes a formal contact to sit down and discuss things it's just talk," Walker said.

Walker, who turns 48 on Wednesday, said Tuesday he is interested in pursuing the job at the Mountain West Conference school.

"Sure I would," he said. "It's right here in California and they're in a helluva conference."

Walker has also been mentioned as a candidate at Washington but said he was never contacted by Huskies officials.

"I think they're moving in another direction," Walker said. "I guess I wasn't what they were looking for."

Earlier Walker took his name out of consideration for the Utah State head coaching position.

Chow on USC

Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow spent four seasons at USC at the start of the Pete Carroll era before jumping to the NFL after the 2004 season.

But Chow said he's not sure how much of an advantage his familiarity with the Carroll's staff and the Trojans' program will be Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

"You have some idea," Chow said, about what his former colleagues might be planning. But Chow said because coaching staffs are "so segregated" between offense and defense he didn't spend that much time going over schemes and game plans with Carroll and the Trojans' defensive assistants.

"DeWayne Walker and I are very close friends but he's busy doing his stuff and I'm busy doing mine," Chow said.

A look back

UCLA shocked USC and college football with a 13-9 2006 upset that knocked the No. 2 Trojans out of the BCS national championship game.

Surprisingly, Bruins players have made little mention to the 2006 game this week.

"We haven't brought it up," senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "That was a different team, a different time. We're focused on now and finishing this season off the right way."