As the wait stretches on for UW’s first football game, first fall practice, Big Ten Media Days, and a few expected 2027 commitment announcements, the Wednesday Dots keep the updates moving.
On the football side, the latest Cover 3 podcast features Bud Elliott and Dawgman’s Scott Eklund taking a look ahead to the 2026 season. Their discussion covers what looks strong, what still needs answers on both sides of the ball, and how the schedule shapes up.
There’s also fresh national recognition for a pair of former Huskies. ESPN asked NFL executives, coaches, and scouts to help sort out the league’s top cornerbacks, and Trent McDuffie landed at No.
- Byron Murphy also drew votes in the survey.
Demond Williams is showing up on a different kind of national list, too. Blake Toppmeyer of USA Today included him among the Heisman sleepers for the 2026 season.
And because it’s never too early for bowl talk, The Sporting News has already rolled out its projections. In that forecast, UW is headed to the Alamo Bowl to face Houston.
On the UW athletics side, Ava Carroll picked up a major honor in the Northwoods League, where she was named Player of the First Half after hitting .493 with 37 hits, 7 home runs, and 34 RBI. She also earned an invitation to the league’s all-star game.
Carroll won’t be the only Husky there. Pitcher Ryan Maddox, Marley Teasley, and catcher Ally Hetzel were also selected for the all-star game. Carroll will be a senior for UW this season.
In Other News...
Washingtons 2026 Path Runs Straight Through Eugene
CBS Sports latest look at Washingtons 2026 schedule paints a pretty sturdy regular season, with Brad Crawford projecting the Huskies to finish 9-3. The path behind that number is familiar for a program trying to reestablish itself under Jedd Fisch: handle the games it should, stay steady at home, and keep enough balance and experience to remain in the top 25 deep into November.
The problem is where the schedule stiffens. The projection leaves Washington vulnerable in the kind of games that usually decide whether a strong season becomes a playoff season, and the margin for error gets thin once the Huskies head into the biggest road tests. If those swing games go the way Crawford expects, Washington can still be good, but not quite good enough to force its way into the College Football Playoff conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Why Washington Keeps Getting Overlooked Despite A Roster Built To Win
Washington enters Jedd Fischs third season with a roster that looks built to keep climbing, not slide backward. The Huskies have key offensive pieces back in place, including Demond Williams Jr., Dezmen Roebuck, Decker DeGraaf and four of five starting offensive linemen, while the defense is also getting a fresh look with new starters at cornerback. After the upheaval that followed the programs post-playoff turnover, Fisch has already taken the Huskies from a 6-7 first year to a 9-4 finish, and that kind of continuity usually earns a little more respect than this group is getting.
Instead, several betting sites have set Washingtons win total below last seasons mark, as if the Huskies are due for a step back before they even take the field. The Athletics preseason top 25 poll is more bullish, slotting Washington 14th and pointing to the returning core and incoming talent as reasons for optimism. Even so, the gap between how the market is pricing this team and how it is being viewed by national voters says plenty about the challenge ahead for a program still trying to prove it belongs among the sports more stable contenders. [Read more 🡒]
Former Husky Trent McDuffie Just Reached A Stunning NFL Milestone
Trent McDuffies rise has been one of the more impressive NFL storylines for Washington fans to track, especially for a player who left Montlake with a reputation built on polish, versatility and competitive edge. Evaluators around the league have kept noticing the same things, too, with NFL executives and coaches recently placing him among the top 10 cornerbacks in the sport and pointing to the same coverage traits that made him such a valuable pro prospect in the first place.
McDuffies latest milestone only adds to the sense that his career has moved into a different tier, and it comes after the kind of transaction that can reshape a players future in a hurry. The former Husky was originally drafted by Kansas City, then moved on in a trade that sent multiple draft picks the other way before he landed his new extension, a sequence that now looks even more consequential given where his market has gone and how highly he is regarded across the league. [Read more 🡒]