In the depths of my withdrawal from college football (and with no end seemingly in sight haha) I feel it is only pertinent to provide those who follow the Huskies the three best chances to watch the Washington Huskies next year.
Going 0-12 is naturally not going to garner much interest in the larger college football community. However, there are a few games worth watching, even if some of them my be losses.
The games listed below are the games in which the Huskies could potentially be the most competitive. The chance for some surprising wins, which would be a nice surprise.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian is instituting a new system, and it's safe to assume that the team will be rusty going into the first game with LSU. The Tigers of LSU may have rust of their own but that's about the best any Husky fan can hope for.
Therefore, LSU and Idaho need to be stricken from this specific list. They represent great game opportunities, but their outcomes seem assured.
In the same vein, the Apple Cup is stricken from this list for always being a game to watch on the Huskies calendar. So without further adieu, here are the three games to watch in 2009.
@ Stanford 9/26/09
This is an away game, but both these programs have been in the doldrums lately. Their respective talent levels have made for interesting games the last several years.
The win two years ago at Stanford was a bit of a blast from the past. The run game was on display with Louis Rankin recording the fourth best single game rushing performance in Huskies history.
Last years was the fateful game in which Locker broke his thumb, forcing him out for the season. Backup Ronnie Fouch helped them stay competitive, but it was still a loss. One in which Willingham never full recovered, making it one of the death knells for his career at UW.
This years game really revolves around Stanford's quarterback play. If the Cardinal are still struggling to decide between Andrew Luck and Tavita Pritchard it could become an interesting game.
Luck will be playing for the first time, so it really comes down to that talent versus experience argument for Stanford.
At the same time, if Washington can maintain Locker's health that will be a huge boost.
This game comes on the back of LSU and USC in the previous three weeks, so it's a bit of a must-win for Sarkisian. A loss at Stanford would do the same thing as last year and send the Huskies into a tailspin.
The difference being, Sarkisian seems infinitely more inclined to get up and motivate his players, unlike Willingham.
v. Arizona 10/10/09
This was a game that the Huskies were always competitive in, except for last year. Two years ago it was a shooting fest, with the Huskies losing on a late touchdown, but the two years previous were both wins in several drab seasons.
Arizona has the great misfortune of trying to break in a new quarterback for their system. No matter whole it comes down to, no one really has very much game experience on the roster.
Sonny Dykes' system is quarterback friendly, in that there is a lot of throwing, but they have struggled against the Huskies in terms of sacks.
Last year was a terrible year for the Washington defensive line, and Arizona was the first team to give up some quarterback takedowns to that unit.
Years previous there were as many as six against Tuitama. Nick Holt will be looking to attack Arizona's youthful quarterbacks this way.
The problem is, Arizona has a born playmaker in the tight end Rob Grankowski. To stay in the game, the Huskies are going to need to find a counter for him.
The honeymoon with Mike Stoops after getting to a bowl game last year will start to fade by this point of the season. I see the Wildcats struggling over the stretch as the coaching staff takes their foot off the gas now that they aren't on the hotseat.
That relaxation may be just what the Huskies need.
This game falls after a a roadtrip to Stanford and Notre Dame. The home schedule for the Huskies isn't great, with the exception of Washington State and Idaho. This is one of the games that Sark will be looking to dominate the homefield advantage.
v. Oregon 10/24/09
This one will be controversial, especially to many Duck fans, but I'm going to go out on a limb right now and say that this could be a special game in the rivalry, if not a win for UW.
Oregon has won way too many of the games in this recent series, and with the new staffs I think this game will be spicy. Husky stadium will be packed with Oregon and Washington fans as well, which makes it one of the best games to go see live.
Remember as well, the Huskies hung with the Ducks for three and half quarters until they fell under the Dennis Dixon/Jonathan Stewart onslaught.
Masoli is a great quarterback, but it remains to be seen if LeGarrette Blount can carry the load the same as Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. He is a good back, but has his off the field problems and hasn't been the number one guy yet.
I would also worry that now that Justin Roper has transferred that could become a problem position for the Ducks. If Masoli has a "sophomore slump" or a season ending injury it could spell trouble.
Also, Aaron Pflugard, one of the top performers this spring at wide receiver, is transferring as well.
Chip Kelly certainly has his system, and the offensive mind to get people going in it, but it has to be disconcerting to see two players like this leave the program.
Roper being the bigger loss of course, who I thought was a really good player for them but had the misforturne of being injured and Masoli playing like a man possessed.
I think that the Ducks probably will win this game again, don't get me wrong, but I think a lot has to go right for it to be out and out a definitive fact. I can guarantee it will be a great game to watch, a la the 2007 game.
But that's what a Oregon-Washington game is supposed to be, right?
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