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Inside The Huskies

Here's the Boldest Forecast Yet for This Husky Football Team

Yardbarker isn't convinced there's going to be a big UW falloff.
Dan Raley|
Will Rogers stretches out during spring ball.
Will Rogers stretches out during spring ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

University of Washington spring football practice has been over for nine days, yet the Huskies somehow keep convincing people, the stray prognosticator here and there, they're better than the consensus opinion.

Yardbarker, a media outlet around for 18 years, is the latest to think that new coach Jedd Fisch might have something up his sleeve this coming season, especially with just two UW starters returning and an offensive line still wearing diapers.

It has the Huskies at No. 12, slotted between Utah and LSU, in its recently released Top 25 preseason poll.

That seems a little bold for a UW team still doing major lifting to acquire enough transfer portal talent to enable the Huskies to take on a demanding Big Ten schedule and be physical enough to simply block someone and provide protection for new quarterback Will Rogers.

The following is Jeff Mezydio's UW synopsis for Yardbacker in justifying such a lofty May poll placement:

"Let's preface by stating that Washington is likely worthy of a spot on this list. But where is anybody's guess at the moment. With coach Kalen DeBoer bolting for Alabama, several Huskies entering the transfer portal as a result and star receiver Rome Odunze and running back Dillon Johnson declaring for the NFL Draft, everything — and seemingly everybody — is up in the air at Washington. Now, regardless what the Huskies look like come August, and with new hot-shot coach Jedd Fisch in charge, they're probably good enough to rate among the top half of the new-look Big Ten, but maybe too early to predict a CFP repeat."

If he's correct, the Huskies are better than everyone nationally except the following teams, going in this order, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Alabama, Missouri, Michigan, Oklahoma State and again LSU.

Yardbarker has the Huskies ahead of Clemson, Tennessee, Penn State and even Fisch's former Arizona team.

If nothing else, the Huskies' previous 14-1 showing and national championship game appearance is generating long-term respect, if not rewarding them for their recent excellence.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/football

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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