Inside The Huskies

National Point of View on Husky Football Leans to Optimism

Joel Klatt offers his thoughts on the UW, which counts one of his college teammates as a coach.
Dan Raley|
Joel Klatt has a widespread presence as a college football analyst.
Joel Klatt has a widespread presence as a college football analyst. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

While everyone has a college football prediction or a list entering fall camp, often based on geographical or traditional preferences, the neutral voices are still out there -- and Joel Klatt is one of them, which makes himself an analyst in demand.

On Thursday, he appeared on the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle's 710 radio and appeared well versed on the nuances of University of Washington football, not to mention optimistic about the possibilities for Jedd Fisch's next team.

A former Colorado quarterback, Klatt pinpointed Husky signal-caller Demond Williams Jr. as a pivotal piece for the next Husky entry.

"I think he's really good," Klatt said of the sophomore QB. "I'm going to put Washington on my five buys. Williams is part of that. I like what they've got at running back and wide receiver. They have to improve on the offensive line."

Then came a prediction that seems to be picking up momentum elsewhere, as well: "I could see nine wins, potentially 10."

Klatt also brought up Ryan Walters, the new UW defensive coordinator and former Purdue head coach, and their football connection that isn't widely known.

They were Colorado teammates in 2004 and 2005. Initially they were Buffaloes quarterbacks together before Walters moved to safety and became a defensive starter.

Klatt similarly referenced the benefits of playing at Husky Stadium, where the UW enters with a 20-game home winning streak.

"It's the most underrated home-field advantage in college football," he said. "No one talks about it. It's one of the great environments in the entire sport. I think Washington could pop."

Klatt continued on to offer postseason possibilities for the Huskies, which revolves around the number 10.

"If you get to 10 wins in the Big Ten, you're talking about being in the conversation for the CFP," he said of the College Football Playoff.

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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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