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Not many teams in college football changed as much as the Washington Huskies did since this time last year.
The Huskies finished 14-1 last year reaching the College Football Playoff title game. But they were run over by a bigger, stronger Michigan Wolverines squad. Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer decided life wasn’t easy enough at Washington. So he went and took over for Nick Saban at Alabama.
The changes didn’t end there.
Huskies star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. More than 20 Washington players jumped into the Transfer Portal. The school hired Jedd Fisch after three good years at Arizona (well, really, one bad year and two good ones). Washington also joined the Big Ten Conference.
Will Rogers has shown up from Mississippi State to play quarterback. His Southeastern Conference tape is solid. Can he be a Bo Nix? Or is he just a Will Rogers?
The Huskies are filled with newness all over the place. They have a new coach, new quarterback, in a new conference and filled with new players all over. No one looks upon them as they are playoff contenders this year. Yet they got 23 votes in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll.
Week 1: Weber State Wildcats
Fisch gets a breather in Game One against Weber State. The Wildcats went 6-5 last year in the Big Sky Conference. They are ranked No. 22 in the FCS Preseason rankings.
Weber State turned to quarterback Richie Munoz for the last five games last season, winning three of them. Wildcats senior kicker Kyle Thompson has not missed a PAT in his college career, going 140 for 140. That’s pretty good.
Weber State probably won’t kick many extra points against Washington.
Record: 1-0.
Week 2: Eastern Michigan Eagles
Here's another softy for Washington at home, but Eastern Michigan should be better than Weber State.
The Eagles have been to six bowl games since 2016 under head coach Chris Creighton. They brought in Cole Snyder to play quarterback from Buffalo. Before attending Buffalo, Snyder was at Rutgers. Running back Delbert Mimms was a reserve at N.C. State before transferring in. He should get the ball plenty for the Eagles. Eastern Michigan's defense last year was poor, especially late in the season.
Therefore, Washington will be comfortable favorites.
Record: 2-0.
Week 3: Washington State Cougars
There’s no more Pac-12 Conference, just a Pac-2. But there is still the annual Apple Cup between Wazzu and Washington.
The Huskies have won nine of the last 10 Apple Cup meetings. Last year’s game was close, but the other eight wins were all by 10 points or more.
Washington State lost quarterback Cam Ward to the Transfer Portal and Miami. It’s a two-man battle between John Mateer and Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus for the job. Eckhaus was the Big South/OVC Player of the Year last year. But a starter is expected to be named Aug. 19.
Whoever the quarterback is going to be, Washington State has to fix an offensive line that allowed 38 sacks.
Even though Washington has some question marks, they still seem better than Washington State.
Record: 3-0.
Week 4: Northwestern Wildcats
Washington plays its first Big 10 Conference game in this one. The Huskies will miss out on playing in Northwestern’s new interim lakefront stadium. But they will welcome the Wildcats to their own lakefront stadium.
Remember how Northwestern was a disaster entering last season? Especially after a hazing scandal? It didn’t happen. Interim head coach David Braun was the Big 10 Coach of the Year. The Wildcats went 8-5 and won the Las Vegas Bowl.
This year, Northwestern has a new offensive coordinator Zach Lujan from South Dakota State. Quarterback Brendan Sullivan transferred out. Mike Wright, who played at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State without much success, transferred in to play.
Northwestern will be all right. Washington will be all right, too. It’s a toss-up, but Braun is the real deal with Northwestern.
Record: 3-1.
Week 5: at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
We live in a world where Rutgers is one of the hottest college football teams coming into the 2024 season.
Yes, Rutgers.
After going 7-6 and going to the Big 10 Conference's middle of the pack, Rutgers brought in Athan Kaliakmanis from Minnesota to play at quarterback. They have running back Kyle Monangai, who is a tough runner. The defense is OK and Rutgers has always had solid special teams.
Remember, Rutgers ran all over Ohio State last year and led the Buckeyes at halftime. But Rutgers? Really? Or was it just a bad year for the other vintage Big 10 middle-of-the-pack teams? Teams like Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State? Washington should be better.
Record: 4-1.
Week 6: Michigan Wolverines
It’s a CFP National Championship game rematch. Even though plenty of players from both sides are gone, this contest will have some juice.
Michigan still has studs Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Donovan Edwards on board. Sure, head coach Jim Harbaugh is gone to the NFL. But his style remains with new head coach Sherrone Moore. Michigan smashed Washington last year and will do it again.
Record: 4-2.
Week 7: at Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa’s defense was ranked No. 4 in the nation last year, but the Hawkeyes' offense was a punchline.
Iowa brought in new offensive coordinator Tim Lester from the Green Bay Packers.
They’re still hoping former Michigan starter (and transfer) Cade McNamara is the answer at quarterback. If he’s not, then remember when we said Brendan Sullivan transferred out of Northwestern? He’s at Iowa now.
These two teams haven’t met since the 1995 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. They played in two Rose Bowls in 1982 and 1991. Washington beat Iowa 28-0 in 1982, then did it again in 1991, 46-34. If Iowa gets any bit of offense, then they will be good.
Record: 4-3.
Week 8: at Indiana Hoosiers
Like Washington, Indiana also is going through a reboot. The Hoosiers hired former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti. He brought over a bunch of Dukes through the Transfer Portal to boost the Hoosiers' talent. Former James Madison defensive end Mikail Kamara had 13.5 sacks last season.
Former Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke will start at quarterback for Indiana. He comes in after transferring from Ohio. Rourke stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds. He's a classic pocket passer, too. But the Hoosiers' defense was brutal last year.
This is a toss-up, too, but give the Huskies the nod.
Record: 5-3.
Week 9: USC Trojans
Well, the only thing worse than USC’s defense last year is when In-N-Out forgets the sauce on your burger. USC gave up more points last season per game than Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Hawaii did.
Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley fired his whole defensive staff. He then stole UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to come in and run the show.
USC quarterback Miller Moss was a star in the Trojans' bowl victory. But Moss will have to beat out UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava for the job. It’s just impossible for USC to be worse on defense this year.
Record: 5-4.
Week 10: at Penn State Nittany Lions
Washington draws the unfortunate task of playing in State College, Pa., for the annual White Out game. In other words, the Nittany Lions' crowd will be bonkers.
Penn State should be good. They have been "just good" for a while, but Penn State fans want them to be great. Quarterback Drew Allar threw for 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his first season behind center. Penn State has two powerful running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 8 in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll. This is where things get real difficult for Washington.
Record: 5-5.
Week 11: UCLA Bruins
Here it is, Washington’s best chance at win No. 6. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly left for Ohio State to be the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator there. DeShaun Foster is the Bruins' new head coach. Longtime NFL coach Eric Bieniemy comes on board as UCLA's new offensive coordinator.
Quarterback Ethan Gabers has been at UCLA for four years and never done much to distinguish himself. He’s just kind of there. Gabers has two good wide receivers, J. Michael Sturdivant and Logan Loya.
Washington fans will note that a quarterback on the UCLA sidelines is Henry Hasselbeck, who is the son of former Seahawks star QB Matt Hasselbeck.
UCLA and Washington are both in the same spot with new coaches. Expect a lot of points with Washington pulling it out.
Record: 6-5.
Week 12: at Oregon Ducks
On paper, the Oregon Ducks are the best team Washington will play in 2024. The bad news? Oregon will definitely want some payback after losing to the Huskies twice in 2023.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is in his third year there. He danced around a little bit with Alabama when Saban left, but he stayed in Eugene. Oregon supporter Phil Knight has been known to financially support the football program. Former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel now runs the Ducks' offense. Ducks running back Jordan James scored 11 touchdowns last season. Oregon’s offense will be lethal.
Record: 6-6.
Washington Overview
With so much upheaval entering 2024, Washington faces an uncertain road. A 6-6 record and a low-level bowl game would be a good achievement. Northwestern, Rutgers and UCLA are swing games for the Huskies this season. Washington doesn’t have the firepower to match Penn State or Oregon, but they also have some cupcakes on the schedule. They’re going to be a middle-of-the-pack program in the Big 10.
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