A hotly-contested battle over No. 7 ranked Oregon skyrocketed the Washington Huskies to the forefront of the national title race… are they for real?
Momentum festers. Once a distant light in the Pacific Northwest, the Washington Huskies have exploded into national prominence following an impressive performance by Heisman frontrunner Michael Penix Jr.
The ‘Dawgs have thrived amidst an uncertain time of conference realignment, not knowing who they’re even going to play next year. A reach for a Big 10 expat in Michael Penix Jr. two years ago didn’t seem like the best fit, and a deeply contested Pac-12 made Washington just another fish in the ocean.
Despite an uphill battle, all the trials and tribulations have led to this. The Huskies sitting loudly atop a conference in shambles at 6-0 and knocking off No. 7 ranked Oregon. With a victory over the Ducks, Washington has solidified their argument to be included in the college football playoff after proving every single naysayer wrong. The Dawgs are here to stay.
Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans had a rough day at the office against Notre Dame, paving the way for the Huskies to take the Pac-12 and slide their way to a top-four ranking. Now, all Washington has to do is hang on.
If one thing is for certain, it’s that the Washington Huskies deserve to be in the playoffs. They’ve proven they can hang with the best. Sure, it wasn’t Penix’s ideal day. He’s had better games. The Dawgs have won handily, especially to start the season out. However, it’s hard to imagine a singular game having bigger ramifications for the Huskies’ season than this one.
The Huskies seem to have a complete team, as exemplified by a positional superstar in wide receiver Rome Odunze, a defense capable of running step-for-step with any team in the FBS, and an offensive coordinator who seems more than happy to dial it up whenever he feels like it.
Washington embodies the stereotypical Hollywood-esque football feature film. They are simply a team you’d want to root for, a feel-good story trudging their way along, seemingly oblivious to the inevitable maelstrom that’s set to ensue next year when the Pac-12 falls apart.
Michael Penix’s journey to where his now was anything but an easy one, a personification of the scrappy, do-it-all mentality of a hungry Husky team that desperately wants to taste the summit of the national championship mountain that they haven’t seen since 1991. Penix’s play has also brough a sense of light to the team, to the University of Washington, and the city of Seattle which braves darkness through so much of the year.
The Huskies have brought relevance back to the Pac-12 who just a couple months ago seemed like it would cease to exist. The nation’s eyes are on Washington for the first time in decades. This team is bigger than life in more than just a sentimental way.
MORE PAC-12 DRAMA: For Colorado, Winning Over Colorado State Was Much Bigger Than Deion
Offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer’s genius spews a Chip Kelly in his Oregon days aura. Keeping the offense out on fourth downs more than Kevin Kelley, holding his own in a comeback shootout versus one of the best defenses in the conference, and finding the right scheme for a Michael Penix who didn’t work out at Indiana– Deboer has more than enough mental and physical firepower embedded in his personnel to make it deep into the postseason.
“I know there was a question out there — because I know we took it to heart — how tough we are,” DeBoer said after the win. “I think we’re pretty dang tough. We’re going to grind you with the best of them.”
“We keep saying it: if it’s close, we’re going to find a way to win. We’re built for this. We’re made for this. We’ve been through some things, and we learn from them. We take the lessons that we’ve learned and apply them, and you can see it. These guys care so much. Man, there’s nothing more special as a football coach than to see these guys enjoying that moment we just had out there. They’re going to remember this forever. These games are huge.”
The Huskies are competing in what has been one of the parity-filled conference in college football. The Pac-12 has six teams in the AP Top 25, the most out of all FBS. To say what the Huskies have done is nothing short of incredible is selling them just a bit too little.
How? Michael Penix thrives under DeBoer’s offensive scheme. Predicating plays off of efficiency rather than explosiveness has been DeBoer’s key to going 17-2 under the purple and gold. Penix has been able to let loose as a left handed quarterback way more than any quarterback since Michael Vick at Virginia Tech. DeBoer’s offense relies very little on the run game, with the Huskies’ rushing offense ranking beyond the 100 mark in Division I FBS, the only team to do that since a Patrick Mahomes-led pseudo-air raid offense in 2016 at Texas Tech.
“For Tennessee, it was about their speed and their spacing, so when they make you miss it’s a home run,” said an opposing defensive coach familiar with both the Vols and Huskies, speaking to The Athletic. “But Washington doesn’t want to run the ball. It’s not their priority. They are all about protecting Penix and silently picking you apart in the pass game.”
Now, sitting at 5, staring right at the outskirts of the top-four in order to make it to the College Football Playoff, the Huskies just have one task remaining.
Win.
And that’s easier said than done in a conference where everything is personal. Arizona State next week might be more than a gimme. Instead, they stay in Seattle, face the same team that was the last program to beat them over a year ago, and will try their best to stave off what will surely be a trap game.
