Big Ten power rankings are starting to paint a pretty clear picture of where Washington sits in the league, and the Huskies keep landing in the same neighborhood.
CBS Sports has Washington at No. 19 in its 1-138 rankings, which places the Huskies seventh in the Big Ten. ESPN’s projected average wins model is a little kinder, slotting Washington sixth in the conference.
Cleveland.com has the Huskies finishing seventh. Yahoo Sports, meanwhile, puts Washington sixth in the league in its official power rankings.
The order varies a bit from outlet to outlet, but the same names keep showing up at the top. Ohio State and Oregon are the clear headliners in every list. Indiana also keeps hanging near the top tier, while USC, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Purdue fill out the rest of the conference picture in different combinations.
Here’s how the four lists line up:
CBS Sports: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State, Purdue
ESPN: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa, Washington, USC, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Maryland, Wisconsin, Rutgers, UCLA, Northwestern, Michigan State, Purdue
Cleveland.com: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers, Purdue
Yahoo Sports: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers, Michigan State, Maryland, Wisconsin, UCLA, Purdue
For Washington, the takeaway is simple: the Huskies are being viewed as a solid middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team by these outlets, with a range that runs from sixth to seventh.
In Other News...
Washington Opens Apple Cup With A Backfield Battle Still Unsettled
The Huskies first depth chart of the season offered one clear hint about how the backfield will look in the opener: second-year running back Quaid Carr is listed at the top. It is a notable nod for Carr, who enters the year alongside more experienced options Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley as Washington starts sorting out how to divide carries.
Jedd Fisch has already made it plain that the job will not belong to just one runner. All three backs are expected to play meaningful snaps as the offense leans toward a rotation, which leaves the Apple Cup opener as the first real look at how that committee will function when the game matters. The starter label is useful, but it does not close the book on how Washington intends to use its depth in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Jedd Fisch Just Put Washington Fans On Alert About The Apple Cup
The Apple Cup is set to return to Husky Stadium for the 114th meeting between Washington and Washington State, and it arrives with a familiar mix of pride, pageantry and a little unease about what comes next. For Huskies fans, the rivalry still has all the weight it always has, even as conference realignment and broader scheduling changes continue to reshape the college football map around it.
Jedd Fisch said he hopes the Apple Cup keeps going, which is hardly a surprise from a coach who understands what the game means on both sides of the state line. Still, the uncertainty surrounding the rivalrys long-term future is hard to ignore, and it leaves Washington supporters watching not just this years matchup, but the bigger picture of whether one of the Pac-12s defining traditions will remain in place. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Apple Cup Front Faces A Huge Test Sooner Than Expected
Washingtons defensive front is walking into the Apple Cup with an unusual amount of youth and a whole lot of responsibility. The Huskies are set to lean on true freshmen up front, a sign that their development has moved faster than expected and that the staff believes theyre ready for a rivalry stage that tends to expose every weakness.
Elinneus Davis, the veteran in the group, has become an important stabilizer for the line, and he has sounded confident about how the younger players fit beside him. The chemistry, the preparation and the fact that both freshmen have forced their way into starting roles all point to a unit that is being trusted sooner than most expected, which makes this matchup one of the more intriguing tests on Washingtons schedule. [Read more 🡒]