Washington is a team on the rise and a trendy pick to break the stranglehold that Stanford and Oregon have on the Pac-12 North. We could say the Huskies are a year ahead of schedule in the Chris Petersen master plan. Prior to last season, U-Dub was just too young to do much in 2015. They were, after all, one of the youngest teams in the country. But they broke through anyway, and now they reach the year in which they were supposed to break through.
Washington Huskies Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Huskies Over 9 Wins -110
Huskies Under 9 Wins -110
2015 WASHINGTON HUSKIES SEASON REVIEW
The preseason expectations for Petersen's second year weren't terribly high. Most projections saw a bowl berth as a baseline for a successful season. The Huskies delivered that, including a bowl win. They also beat Washington State to secure bowl eligibility, which surely made fans feel good. And they did it with a plethora of underclassmen.
Still, a 4-5 conference record and fifth-place finish in the North doesn't represent something that Washington should aspire toward. While playing hated rival Oregon competitively for a change was something, it doesn't mean much when the result was a 12th consecutive loss.
The inconsistency of a young offense was telling. In the Huskies’ six losses they averaged 18.5 points. The offense was mediocre-to-bad for much of the year, but it surged in its final three games, averaging 47 points per outing during a winning streak that secured a bowl berth and victory, knocking off Southern Mississippi 44-31 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The young players matured as the season progressed, just what Petersen hoped for.
WHAT CHANGED
All signs pointed to a rebuilding year for the Huskies in 2015, but Washington took a step forward. Sure, the Huskies only finished 7-6. However, this team matched its Pac-12 record from the previous season and lost four games by 10 points or less. Petersen went with a youth movement on offense last season and it paid off.
The Huskies were extremely young on the offensive side of the football in 2015, so the inconsistency was basically built-in. Since they used rookies and sophomores everywhere, including the all-true freshman backfield of quarterback Jake Browning and running Myles Gaskins, it’s understandable why the expectations have soared for 2016.
2016 WASHINGTON HUSKIES REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Sep. 3: vs. Rutgers
Sep. 10: vs. Idaho
Sep. 17: vs. Portland State
Sep. 24: at Arizona
Sep. 30: vs. Stanford
Oct. 8: at Oregon
Oct. 22: vs. Oregon State
Oct. 29: at Utah
Nov. 5: at California
Nov. 12: vs. USC
Nov. 19: vs. Arizona State
Nov. 25: at Washington State
2016 WASHINGTON HUSKIES SEASON PREVIEW
It’s funny how success only builds pressure. If Browning would have struggled the entire season and maybe gotten benched a few times, he would have entered 2016 with pretty manageable expectations. Instead he showed flashes of brilliance against lesser defenses.
Gaskins will likely relieve some of that pressure after an enormous freshman season and it’s clear the running game is less of a concern. Gaskins started just six games, but once he got going, it was difficult to stop him. In his last four games he averaged 25 carries and 5.6 yards per attempt. For the year he rolled up 1,302 yard and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
The Washington hype has grown quickly and dramatically. The Huskies were both young as hell and pretty good last year. If Petersen is able to keep egos in check and keep everyone's development moving forward, then the sky is the limit for this program.
After losing six times in each of Petersen’s first two seasons, it’s time for Washington to move further from the break-even point. The personnel should be even better after employing so many underclassmen in 2015. Plus, the non-conference slate is cushy with Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State traveling to Seattle to start the season. But seven Pac-12 wins might be too much to ask of this still young group.
College Football Odds: Washington Huskies Under 9 Wins
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