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ESPN Preseason Poll Includes Huskies, Yet Lower Than Before

UW remains one of nation's best with fall camp set to open on Friday.
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Two days from the opening of fall camp, the University of Washington football team remains a Top 25 team, though several notches lower than where it began entering the offseason. 

According to the latest poll, this one supplied by ESPN, the Huskies are the nation's 19th best team.

Seven months earlier, in its way-too-early listing following the CFP championship game, ESPN pegged the UW at No. 14. 

Was the loss of edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui worth five slots? The transfer of Puka Nacua to BYU? Or both?

If accurate, this means Jimmy Lake's team will be good this coming season, but not necessarily great. 

This placing seems to imply that these guys will lose at least two, possibly three, games.

ESPN has the Huskies as the third-best Pac-12 team, trailing Oregon (8th) and USC (13th) in the rankings.

That seems to put a lot of faith in a Ducks team whose previous quarterback now plays for Texas Tech and a Trojans entry that seems to be light on truly elite linemen. 

The Huskies, however, haven't completely sold everyone on their quarterback situation with returnee Dylan Morris, who has all of four starts on his ledger and the hyped-up freshman Sam Huard pushing him for playing time. 

If it's any consolation, the UW ranks ahead of a pair of teams led by former USC coaches in Steve Sarkisian — yes, he's eight years removed from the Huskies, too — and Lane Kiffin, whose respective Texas Longhorns (21st) and Mississippi Rebels (24th) bring up the rear of the poll. 

Alabama again is picked No. 1, which is a Groundhog Day sort of thing, followed by future SEC combatant Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State.

College football, in modern times, is all so predictable, almost boring, offering the same national contenders and poll leaders every year. 

Didn't anyone notice that the Baylor Bears just won their first NCAA men's basketball championship?

Football could use some new faces, just to keep things interesting. 

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