Huskies Haven't Convinced Everyone They're a Top 25 Team

Jimmy Lake refers to the coming season as "unfinished business" for his University of Washington football team. Recent prognosticators, however, have a much different take on it for the Huskies.

It's prove-it time.

The Sporting News became the first national publication to voice some sort of objection to the potential prowess of Lake's 2021 crew, completely omitting it from its Top 25 preseason rankings, while Athlon Sports barely squeezed the Huskies in at No. 22.

Is that blatant disrespect or fall reality?

Granted, this sort of preseason rankings venture is not unlike throwing darts at a big board — at least once you've picked Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma in your top five slots ... year after year after year after year.

It seems particularly dicey this time around to select a Top 25 poll because it's unclear how much the pandemic really ruined college football teams and their seasons in 2020, with LSU coming off a national championship season to limp through a 5-5 showing and Wisconsin going 4-3 after COVID ravaged its roster.

Oh yeah, the Huskies played just four games last season and went 3-1.

Yes, four measly games.

That used to be the freshman schedule when the UW had a frosh team.

Four games remain the lowest sample size for anyone landing on either one of these polls, matched by fellow Pac-12 member Arizona State, also an Athlon pick at No. 15 after going 2-2 in 2020.

The UW began this offseason with 20 of 22 starters returning before receivers Puka Nacua and Ty Jones fled for BYU and Fresno State, respectively — teams that don't appear on either one of these polls — and supreme edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui ruptured his Achilles.

The Huskies still have potential first-round NFL draft picks and All-America candidates in offensive tackle Jackson Kirkland, cornerback Trent McDuffie and tight end Cade Otton, with inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio not far behind in receiving some sort of national attention.

Yet do the pollsters question quarterback Dylan Morris' ability to take the UW to the Top 25 promised land? Or is there still residue still hanging over the Huskies after they underachieved with Jacob Eason at QB-1 and finished up with a less than satisfactory 8-5 record.

No, in picking a Top 25 poll, there's a certain amount of decorum to it (full disclosure, I was once an Associated Press poll voter). Usually without looking closely at the rosters or the schedules, you first see how many SEC teams you can pick — because, until anyone says any different, it's the SEC and that's college football holy land. They're still lobbying down there to change the name from the CFP to the SEC playoff.

The Sporting News settled on five of these exalted teams, including Ole Miss at No. 21, which is coming off a 5-5 season under Lane Kiffin.

While Washington holds down the No. 22 slot for Athlon, The Sporting News chose to give this particular ranking to Auburn, with former Boise State coach Bryan Harsin taking over a program that won't put up with him long if it doesn't win a lot. This could be the biggest couple mismatch since musician Billy Joel married super model Christie Brinkley.

Pollsters also like to dig out a couple of underdogs just to make it look like they have a feel for an up-and-comer, a school normally off the college football radar.

Postal Carolina — whoops, make that Coastal Carolina — appears on both polls, No. 23 for TSN and 24 for Athlon. Here's a reminder to the magazine voters: That's a Sun Belt school.

If the Chanticleers, or is that the Chandeliers, played Washington, a game of this manner would be held in Seattle, not in the Myrtle Beach suburb of quaint Conway, South Carolina — which is inland, not coastal — and that Southern team would be Sun Belted. It wouldn't come any closer than two or three touchdowns to the Huskies on the scoreboard.

Another head scratcher is Cincinnati, ranked 10th in one poll and 8th in another. The Bearcats play in the AAC, not the ACC. Somebody must have confused them for the school's once fearsome basketball team. Yes, Cincy played Georgia tough in the Peach Bowl, or a disinterested Georgia, because it was a pandemic season and mainly because teams such as LSU, Wisconsin and, oh yeah, the Huskies were self-quarantining and unavailable.

The pollsters also are infatuated with Steve Sarkisian. Deeply smitten. In Longhorn love. They've got Texas at No. 13 and 20 in these polls. All gas, no brakes, baby. The Sark man went 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 and 8-4 at Washington and barely stuck around USC long enough to learn the fight song. He's a proven rebuilder, but he's not yet an established big winner as a head coach. Temper the enthusiasm just a bit, until this self-promoter actually proves himself.

One last bone to pick. Army at 24? Really? At ease, gentlemen.

Lake and their Huskies have all sorts intriguing pieces in place to make a deep run. This team actually could be favored in every game it plays — yes, I know Oregon won't put up with that logic at all — if its as good as Lake apparently thinks it is. Yet, the second-year UW coach finds himself cast in a similar situation to Sarkisian.

He has to prove it.

For Athlon's season preview on the Huskies, read it here (full disclosure, I know the guy who wrote it).

The aforementioned polls are as follows:

The Sporting News Athlon Sports

1) Alabama (13-0) 1) Alabama (13-0)

2) Clemson (10-2) 2) Clemson (10-2)

3) Ohio State (7-1) 3) Oklahoma (9-2)

4) Oklahoma (9-2) 4) Ohio State (7-1)

5) Georgia (8-2) 5) Georgia (8-2)

6) Notre Dame (10-2) 6) Texas A&M (9-1)

7) Texas A&M (9-1) 7) Iowa State (9-3)

8) Florida (8-4) 8) Cincinnati (9-1)

9) Iowa State (9-3) 9) Oregon (4-3)

10) Cincinnati (9-1) 10) North Carolina (8-4)

11) LSU (5-5) 11) Florida (8-4)

12) USC (5-1) 12) Notre Dame (10-2)

13) Texas (7-3) 13) Wisconsin (4-3)

14) North Carolina (8-4) 14) Miami (8-3)

15) Indiana (6-2) 15) Arizona State (2-2)

16) Oregon (4-3) 16) Iowa 6-2

17) Oklahoma State (8-3) 17) LSU (5-5)

18) Iowa (6-2) 18) USC (5-1)

19) Miami (8-3) 19) Penn State (4-5)

20) Wisconsin (4-3) 20) Texas (7-3)

21) Ole Miss (5-5) 21) Indiana (6-2)

22) Auburn (6-5) 22) Washington (3-1)

23) Coastal Carolina (11-1) 23) Louisiana (10-1)

24) Army (9-3) 24) Coastal Carolina (11-1)

25) Penn State (4-5) 25) TCU (6-4)

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