Nothing feels better on Monday morning than looking through the rear view mirror at another hard fought victory.
Your Washington Huskies are now 3-1 on the season and are half-way to bowl eligibility.
This was a game the Huskies had to have. It was against an equal and beatable opponent at home early in the season.
Win this one and it makes things less complicated down the stretch. Mission accomplished and the Huskies are off to Salt Lake City next week to face a Utah team which is definitely in the same category as California.
Utah is going to be a tougher opponent for a number of reasons. It is the first Pac 12 home game for the Utes. The crowd is going to be pumped up and the team is going to be psyched out of their minds. Make no mistake about it this is going to be a huge game for Utah.
The key for the UW coaches this week is getting the point across about how big of a game this actually is. Even though these squads are even in many respects Utah has a decided edge. Las Vegas gets it because they have installed the Utes as seven point favorites in this one.
If you ask me I think that is a little steep...the only way Washington loses this game is if they turn the ball over repeatedly or they simply don't respect Utah. While Washington's defense is suspect the Husky offense is on a different plane right now than Utah. Not sure if the Utes can keep up if we don't make mistakes.
Quote of the Week
I think the Huskies should use this quote whenever they are recruiting a local player that is on the fence.
Cal defensive tackle Trevor Guyton, a Redmond High grad who had the Bears' only two sacks
"It just hurts, leaving my college career and not beating (the Huskies) for three years now. It's not a good feeling."
We feel for you Trevor....Not!
Recruiting
Shaq Thompson who happens to be the number one safety recruit was in the house this weekend and he says UW and Cal are his leaders. He made the comment that UW felt just like home when questioned about his visit.
Expect a player or two during most home games to visit but the Oregon game probably shapes up as the biggest in season recruiting weekend. Most visits this season will be after the season so the coaches have more time to spend with each individual recruit.
Learn about the Utes
Jazzy Ute who is a good friend of our blog has a preview of the game on his SBN blog which is called Block U. Ya think that Jazzy just might be a John Stockton fan?
This Saturday marks the first time in program history Utah will host a Pac-12 conference game. Their opponent, Washington, is a team the Utes have never defeated, owning an all-time record of 0-6 - though these two teams last met over 30 years ago.
Pac 12 Power Poll
1. Stanford...The Cards had a week off to rest up but the cupcake part of their schedule continues this week as UCLA visits the farm.
2. Oregon...The Ducks had no problem on the road against an outmatched Arizona squad. This week they take the week off to get ready for the meat of the schedule.
3. Arizona State...The Devils finally got rid of the USC jinx with a strong win at home. Up next is a gift from the God's in the form of Oregon State at home.
4. Washington...Keith Price and the Husky offense are developing into something special. If the defense can get better this team could surprise. Some may think this ranking is pretty high but everything is pretty even once you get behind Oregon and Stanford.
5. Southern Cal...Tough loss to ASU on the road has Kiffin and company scrambling for answers. Why can't Matt Barkley be more accurate is one of them? Up next is the potential beat down of Arizona.
6. Utah...The Ute's face the Huskies in their first ever Pac 12 home game after having a week off to prepare for the Huskies. Expect this one to go down to the wire.
7. California...Tough loss in Seattle leaves Bear fans questioning many of Jeff Tedford's decisions during the game. Up next is a week off to heal up from the bruising inflicted by the purple and the gold.
8. Arizona...The Wildcats aren't getting it done and are in serious danger of bringing up the rear of this conference before it is all said and done. Up next is an angry USC team in LA.
9. UCLA...Beating the hapless Beavers was a serious must win for this program and its coach. Up next is a potential clown stomping at the hands of Stanford. Neuheisel could be like Valdemort....perhaps he finds a way to survive against all odds until the last episode.
10. Washington State...The Cougs head out on the road to face Colorado after having a week to think about a disappointing loss to SDSU. Wulff needs to win this game to have any chance of keeping his job...you read it here first.
11. Colorado...Coming off a thrashing at the hands of Ohio State I like the Buff's chances against the Cougars at home. The Buff's are improving while the Cougars seem to be struggling on the road which of course is a hallmark of bad teams.
12. Oregon State...Tough loss to a terrible UCLA team shows just how far the Beavers have fallen. I expected some sort of positive bounce for the Beavs this week but it didn't happen.