It's 66 Days to Biggest Game of UW Football Season

Some people diligently are counting down the days to the University of Washington season opener against Colorado State, which currently stand at 38.

However, the real serious-minded Seattle football follower would know the magic number for the coming schedule is actually 66 -- which brings everyone to the biggest game of the season against Ohio State in Husky Stadium.

This would be the make-it or break-it outing for Jedd Fisch's second UW team, the tone-setter for the rest of the way, a determination whether the coach was able to upgrade his offensive and defensive lines as promised.

The Buckeyes-Huskies match-up on Sept. 27, kickoff time to come, will be a lot like a bowl or playoff game, only three or four months early.

Win it, and anything is possible for this Washington team, two seasons removed from a run to the national championship game. Lose, and the Huskies hold no shame, rather they'll likely settle for a decent run over the course of the final eight regular-season games and then go to a reasonable bowl.

Ah, but beating Ohio State won't be any walk in the Arboretum park for the guys in purple. The Buckeyes are coming off a national championship, fully expecting another.

"We're not defending anything because they can't take the trophy away," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday in Las Vegas. "We're looking to attack and win a championship with this team."

This group from The Ohio State University, same as the UW, has new coordinators on each side of the ball. It also will have eight new starters on defense, including a total swap out on the front four.

The quarterback position currently is an uncertainty, with Julian Sayin, a California product once recruited by Kalen DeBoer's UW staff, going head to head for the job with Lincoln Kienholz, a South Dakota kid who was once committed to DeBoer's program in Montlake.

"We have to build depth in that room, but it will be a fierce competition," Day said of his quarterbacks.

While the Huskies open with a Mountain West team, the Buckeyes will have to be at their best from the opening bell, hosting fellow national title contender Texas in Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30.

Ohio State will try to become the first Big Ten team since Minnesota in 1940 and 1941 to win back-to-back national titles. It is pursuing the school's storied ninth championship.

"This team we have now wants to leave its own legacy," Day said.