Huskies pick 'em
How will UW do in 2018?
Chris Petersen has led Washington to Fiesta Bowl and College Football Playoff appearances in consecutive seasons, but they've ended in losses each year. With Jake Browning, Myles Gaskin and one of the nation's top defenses, is this the year everything comes together for the Huskies? Put your football knowledge to the test by picking the winner of each game this season, then see how your preseason picks stack up against our experts at The Seattle Times.
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
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Your pick:Adam JudePercy AllenBob CondottaMike VorelLarry StoneMatt CalkinsPaul BarrettAlex IniguezStefanie LohEvan Webeck
Huskies 2017-2018
Staff predictions
Adam Jude
Huskies beat writer
The Huskies, Pac-12 champions in 2016, are the overwhelming favorites to win the conference crown again — and it's easy to see why. QB Jake Browning, RB Myles Gaskin, LT Trey Adams and RT Kaleb McGary are all four-year starters, and nine starters returning from the Pac-12's top-ranked defense, including all five defensive backs. The Huskies look like a legitimate national-title contender. For themselves, and for the Pac-12 at large, they need to beat No. 9 Auburn in the opener to prove to the East Coast, to prove to everyone, that that is indeed the case.
Percy Allen
Huskies beat writer
Kudos to Chris Petersen for agreeing to play No. 9 Auburn at a “neutral” site in Atlanta, but the last two times the Huskies faced top-10 ranked SEC teams they lost 24-7 to No. 1 Alabama in 2016 and were defeated 41-3 at No. 3 LSU in 2012. A trip to Utah and back-to-back road games at UCLA and Oregon are potentially troublesome, but if the Huskies clear those hurdles they could go undefeated in Pac-12 play. UW is fortunate it doesn't play Pac-12 defending champion USC and Arizona in the regular season.
Bob Condotta
Seahawks beat writer
The opener may be too tall of an order for a Washington team that will essentially be playing on the road. But from there the schedule seems to offer only one really tricky stretch: the back-to-back games at UCLA and Oregon. The Huskies, though, look like the class of the Pac-12 for now and maybe well into the future.
Mike Vorel
Seahawks beat writer
This will come as little surprise to UW fans, but the Huskies should be the class of the Pac-12 in 2018. Chris Petersen brings back perhaps the most-talented defensive secondary in the country, as well as experienced, reliable offensive skill players in quarterback Jake Browning and tailback Myles Gaskin. Left tackle Trey Adams is a potential 2019 first-round draft pick as well. The Huskies will have to exorcise some demons in Atlanta in their opener against highly touted Auburn, but should cruise throughout the remainder of the regular season.
Larry Stone
Columnist
The Huskies are loaded for bear, including the Cal Bears. With returning stars all over the field, they are legitimate playoff contenders, and the opener against Auburn in Atlanta will provide an instant test of mammoth proportions. I see a close-fought battle in which the de facto home-field advantage of the Tigers (who are just a two-hour drive away) will make the difference. But Chris Petersen will have his Huskies bouncing back to run the table, and give the selection committee a very tough choice.
Matt Calkins
Columnist
The Huskies' hype is well-earned, and will carry over into the opener in Atlanta, where Washington will beat Auburn despite the game taking place 100 miles from the Tigers' campus. But the Huskies' rival in Eugene is on the rise and has the potential to steal a win at Autzen Stadium. Whether this is enough to bounce UW from the playoffs will depend on the rest of the country.
Paul Barrett
Sports Editor
UW appears to have it all – talent, coaching and a nonconference schedule that is difficult enough to garner buy-in from the College Football Playoff committee. The Huskies should edge Auburn in a huge season opener, but winning at Utah, at Oregon and against Stanford will be a challenge. I’ll pick the Oregon game as the lone loss, and I’ll project UW to reach the playoff for the second time in the past three years.
Alex Iniguez
Assistant Sports Editor
Offensive stars Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin get all the attention, with good reason, but the UW defense will determine where this team goes. A stellar secondary — should it stay healthy — will lead the Huskies to a perfect conference record and a Pac-12 title. After that, it’s up to the College Football Playoff selection committee and other top teams to allow Chris Petersen to take the final step: winning a national championship.
Stefanie Loh
Assistant Sports Editor
With Jake Browning back for a final hurrah and what will be one of the nation’s best defensive secondaries to back him up, this is the year it all comes together for the Huskies. They’ll capture the nation’s attention with a statement win over Auburn on the road, then roll through the Pac-12 slate … until they get to Stanford, where Bryce Love just might power his way through that defense again to give the Cardinal its second-straight win over UW. Still, that Auburn win will keep them in the playoff conversation.
Evan Webeck
Digital Sports Producer
Yeah, it's No. 9 Auburn. Yeah, it's in the heart of SEC country. But, no, I'm not going to be the guy to count out Chris Petersen with an entire slate of fall practices to prepare. His best team yet will garner all the deserved hype and reclaim the conference crown. Still, it's hard not to imagine a single slip-up along the way. What really matters: Will the Huskies do enough to convince the playoff committee to include a one-loss Pac-12 champion?