FanPost

It Ain't Over Yet


This week the Huskies have a mid-season bye, are 6-1, and ranked #12, yet many Husky fans are in a panic, and the bandwagon Dawgs are jumping off after the first loss of the season.

Here's my advice; Keep calm Husky Nation. This season ain't over yet.

No doubt the Arizona State loss shocked Husky fans. Not just the loss, but the way UW lost; a complete failure of the Offense to do anything positive against a bad Defense, two missed chip shot FG's, mental mistakes, Jake Browning either throwing too high too often, or holding onto the ball too long, receivers not making catches, an O-line that couldn't pass block or run block, a Husky team that again started slow, and sadly, the two key season ending injuries that will really test UW's depth at the O-Line and Secondary units.

There certainly are questions about the Offense; Is replacing John Ross turning into a bigger deal than we thought? Has the Offense's execution been hurt by the loss of O-Consultant Jeff Tedford to Fresno State, along with the losses of O-Line Coach Chris Strausser and WR Coach Bush Hamdan to the NFL?

It may be a "yes" to all of the afore mentioned questions, but, the Huskies are still in the race for the Pac-12 North title, and there's still a Pac-12 Championship to defend.

Washington has two weeks to correct what went wrong in Tempe.

I also want to remind Husky fans that even Don James had shocking losses, and sometimes James' teams came out flat as a pancake and/or didn't show up at all.

The one positive thing about this ASU loss is that it was to a Pac-12 South team. Since the forming of the Pac-12's two divisions, the wins and losses against UW's five North Division rivals are a bigger deal now.

Nothing big happens for the Huskies if they don't win the Pac-12 North. That's the first goal. Then defend the Pac-12 Championship on December 1st. Both of these goals are still doable.

The remaining five Pac-12 games are all huge. It's the heart of the schedule; UCLA, Oregon, @ Stanford, Utah and The Apple Cup will test the Huskies' mettle. But having four of the last five games in Husky Stadium is a big boost.

Last season UW made the Final Four with one loss, and I think the Huskies can still make it back. Winning the next five games, and beating a ranked USC in the Pac-12 Championship will, I predict, put a 12-1 Washington into the Rose Bowl and again playing in the Semi-Finals.

Currently sitting at 3-1 (6-1) in the Pac-12 North, the Huskies must beat both Stanford and WSU to win the Division. But then could actually go 2-1 against UCLA, Oregon and Utah and still win the Division with a 7-2 (10-2) record. If they follow that up by repeating as Pac-12 Champions, Washington would be 11-2, ranked in the Top Ten, and probably get a Fiesta Bowl bid against a Big 10 #2 (Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St., Wisconsin), or SEC #2 team. Is that scenario a bad thing?

The overall trajectory of Washington Football is still going upward and onward. While this Arizona State loss is bad, it's not the end of the season. Everything is still out there.

The Husky staff will be recruiting this week, and I don't think the ASU loss is going to scare anybody away.

This is why Washington hired Chris Peterson; build a winning program that keeps its focus, recruit quality players and students, develop the kids into top talent, don't panic, and have the ability to rebound from an abysmal loss

This bye is a good time for Husky Nation to calm down and get a perspective on where Husky Football is at.

Two years ago, Washington was 3-6 after losing back-to-back games to Utah at home, and then at Arizona State. They had to win three straight games in November just to be eligible for the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Even if the Huskies go 10-2, don't win the North and play in the Alamo Bowl, will the sky fall? I don't think so. It'll be a little disappointing given the 6-0 start, but it's not horrible. Especially if they win the bowl game and finish 11-2.

No doubt the ASU loss was bad, but again, keep calm Husky Nation, The Huskies are 6-1 and still control their destiny.