Crunch time--with no margin for error--has officially arrived for the Husky football team. Washington needs to finish the season with wins over UCLA, Cal, and WSU to qualify for a bowl invitation. Sark says his team needs to take it one game at a time starting Thursday night against an improving UCLA team in a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
Gauging some comments I've read, Husky fans aren't confident the team will finish the season with a trifecta. All three upcoming opponents have been playing well of late, while Washington, on the other hand, wasn't competitive in its past three contests against the gauntlet of Arizona, Stanford, and Oregon.
If there was a team in the conference who needed a late season bye week, it was the Huskies. This year, because of the Thursday game, it actually works as sort of a double-bye. The Huskies will have extra rest before facing both UCLA and Cal, which I believe can be a key to victory.
I think the Huskies will finish strong, starting with a victory over the Bruins on Thursday night. This will be Jake's final game in Husky Stadium and I'm confident he'll go out with a bang, though it isn't official whether he is going to be able to play.
Sark is noncommittal at this point on whether Locker will be healthy enough to play. He has even gone as far to say that it may end up being a game-day decision. Signs however are pointing in the direction of Jake starting. He practiced with the team this weekend and will continue doing so through Wednesday.
Sark has his weekly press conference today and that should give us a better idea concerning the health of the team heading into Thursday nights game.
Basketball
The Husky basketball season opened with a resounding thump job on McNeese State. The schedule will toughen up considerably when the Huskies head to Maui in two weeks. This year's Maui Invitational will be Nov. 22-24 and features Kentucky, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Wichita State, Michigan State, Virginia, and Chaminade, in addition to the Huskies.
Pac 10 Power Poll
1. Oregon...The Ducks had a tougher than expected time against Cal. Arizona and Oregon State are the only remaining roadblocks on the way to a perfect season. Up Next : Bye
2. Stanford...Will this be the best team not invited to a BCS Bowl? The Big Game should be an interesting contest coming off the heels of a strong Cal performance against #1 Oregon. Up Next : At Cal
3. USC...A quality road win for the Trojans proves that haven't fallen all that far. Up Next : At Oregon State
4. Arizona...The Trojan defense stopped the Wildcat offense when it counted in the red zone. Up Next : Bye
5. California...Bears were a 29-yard field goal away from pulling off the upset of the year. Bears need to at least split the next two weeks to qualify for a bowl. Up Next: Stanford
6. UCLA...Neuheisel returns to his old haunts in Montlake in an attempt to extinguish Husky bowl hopes and keep his team's alive. Up Next : Washington
7. Oregon State...Two very surprising losses in a row to two of the worst teams in the conference. Up Next : USC
8. Arizona State...Team Erickson just can't quite get the job done this season but a solid foundation has been laid for next year. Up Next : Bye
9. Washington...Jake's final game at Husky Stadium is a must win if the Dawgs want to hold on to their bowl hopes. Up Next : UCLA
10. Washington State...The Cougs break a 16 game conference losing streak on the road in Corvallis. Up Next : Bye