Having lost multiple key pieces to a national runner-up team and transitioning to a new conference have many wondering how Washington will look this year. Despite losses such as Rome Odunze, Michael Penix Jr., and Jaylin Polk, some believe the Huskies are still good enough to reach a key bowl game in 2024.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both project Washington to make the Las Vegas Bowl, a game that pins a Big Ten team against an SEC team. While Bonagura has the Huskies facing LSU, Schlabach has them taking on the Auburn Tigers.
Jedd Fisch enters his first year as the head coach of Washington after a very successful season with Arizona last season. He led the Wildcats to a breakout 2023 season, including a 10-3 record and an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
Fisch assembled an entirely new offense in the offseason, bringing over some of his players from Tucson. Running back Jonah Coleman rushed for over 800 yards last season and will need help from his three transfer offensive linemen to duplicate those numbers.
Nevertheless, the Huskies also retained some players from a very successful team last year. Denzel Boston will have a much bigger role on this year’s team. Despite only bringing in 51 yards last season, learning from NFL receivers like Odunze and Polk will benefit him this year.
We’ll certainly find out what this Washington team is made of early in Big Ten play. After hosting Northwestern in week 4, the Huskies will travel across the country on a short week of preparation to take on Rutgers in Piscataway. It will also give us a great understanding of how this cross-country travel impacts the new Big Ten.