As the college football season creeps up around the corner, it marks the start of a brand-new era in the NCAA with conference realignment completely shifting the landscape of the Power Five conferences. With that said, Northwestern will have four new foes joining the Big Ten: Washington, UCLA, USC, and Oregon. In preparation for the Wildcats’ first season in the new-look Big Ten, Inside NU will preview each of these programs. This week, we take a look at Washington.
Program History
With the Huskies now official members of the Big Ten, they leave behind a rich history in the Pac-12 that includes 18 conference championships and two claimed national titles in 1960 and 1991. Additionally, as college football has a complex history with crowning a sole winner, the Huskies have three unclaimed national titles in program history from 1910, 1984, and 1990, which were awarded before the Bowl Championship Series began in 1998.
Even though the Huskies were never able to win a BCS National Championship game, they were one of the few Pac-12 teams to find success since the start of the College Football Playoff era. Aside from Oregon’s 2014 appearance in the inaugural CFP, the Huskies were the only team in their former conference to qualify, making appearances in 2016 and 2023. However, they have yet to bring home hardware, as they lost in the semifinal matchup to Alabama in 2016 and fell short in the National Championship game in 2023 to Michigan.
Additionally, during their time in the Pac-12, the Huskies have been a pipeline for players entering the NFL, highlighted by a record-setting year this past season. Washington had 10 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, tying a program record for the most prospects chosen during the seven-round era. This impressive feat currently places them eighth among college programs for the most players in the NFL, with a total of 46 former Huskies scattered throughout the league.
Last Season
After initially starting the season ranked 10th in the preseason AP Top 25, Washington greatly outperformed expectations last season. Behind an FBS-leading 4,903 passing yards, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led the Huskies’ high-flying offense to a perfect regular season, but Washington fell short in the 2023 CFP National Championship game.
The Huskies started their season on cruise control, with their first five wins boasting an average margin of 27.6 points per game. However, they faced their first true test of the year in their sixth game, hosting (at the time) #8 Oregon in a conference showdown. In a game that saw seven lead changes, the Huskies managed to clinch a 36-33 victory as Penix connected with wide receiver Rome Odunze for an 18-yard touchdown with just over a minute and a half left in what became an instant classic to secure a massive conference triumph.
In the Huskies’ second half of the season, they played in several down-to-the-wire games, including a 24-21 nail-biter over their in-state rival Washington State, winning on a last-second 42-yard field goal from kicker Grady Gross. This victory completed Washington’s undefeated regular season and set the stage for a rematch against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.
Despite a brilliant performance from Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns while adding 69 yards on the ground, the Huskies narrowly secured a 34-31 win over the Ducks. Running back Dillon Johnson led the way for Washington with 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns, clinching their spot in the CFP.
With a spot in the National Championship game on the line, Washington traveled to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a matchup with Texas. The Huskies won 37-31 due to a heroic performance from Penix, who carried his team on his back with 430 passing yards and two touchdowns. His top wideouts also had monster games, with Odunze catching six receptions for 125 yards and Ja’Lynn Polk hauling in five catches for 122 yards.
From the onset of the National Championship game, it was clear that the Wolverines were the better football team. Washington’s high-flying offense was halted by Michigan’s elite defense, resulting in a season-low score in a blowout 34-13 loss. Additionally, Washington saw their problems worsen on the other side of the field as the Huskies gave up 303 rushing yards, with running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combining for 238 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Following their loss, the Huskies suffered another enormous blow as head coach Kalen DeBoer was tapped with the arduous task of replacing seven-time national champion Nick Saban at Alabama following his retirement.
After DeBoer’s move to the Crimson Tide, the Huskies hired former Pac-12 foe Jedd Fisch, who helped revive Arizona’s program. After a challenging 1-11 season in his inaugural campaign with Arizona in 2021, Fisch finished the 2023 season with a 10-3 record, capped off by a 38-24 Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
As Fisch enters his first year at Washington, he faces the challenge of replacing a cluster of elite players who entered the NFL, including Penix, Odunze, Polk, offensive tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten, and outside linebacker Bralen Trice. However, as Fisch aims to keep Washington in national championship contention, he has brought over a polarizing staff with him, including former New England Patriots outside linebacker coach and now current Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who is also the son of the infamous former head coach Bill Belichick.
Future Projection
After a tremendous year on offense, it’s expected that the Huskies will see some regression, especially as they are merely a shell of the team they were last season. However, Fisch was able to pick up a solid replacement for Penix in the transfer portal by securing former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers. The veteran signal-caller comes to Washington with a plethora of experience, having tossed 12,315 career yards and thrived under late coach Mike Leach’s air raid system in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he threw for an astonishing 71 total touchdown passes.
As Rogers enters the conference, he likely won’t be the signal caller to bring home a Big Ten title in a conference that includes immense talent at the quarterback position, including Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State’s Will Howard, and Penn State’s Drew Aller. However, he brings enough experience to make the Huskies a competitive team within the conference, despite the exodus of players who left Washington following last year.
