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Now Bowl Eligible, Huskies Should Consider All Possibilities

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley  |  Last updated Oct 28, 2025 6:26 PM ET

They're not ranked in the Top 25, not registering at all with Associated Press poll voters. They're bowl eligible, but no one seems to take them seriously who lives outside of the Cascade Mountain Range.

So the University of Washington Huskies are left to dare to dream what no one else is considering -- can they become a playoff team?

With a pair of losses, is it realistic to think they might be able to return to the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons?

"Sure, if you can win out and play well, yeah, of course you can," UW coach Jedd Fisch said on Monday. "It's all a matter of how we play [next] week against Wisconsin to give us the opportunity to go to the next level."

But what about those cumbersome losses to No. 1 Ohio State and No. 21 Michigan?

"I think the national champion last year was 10-2," Fisch said, referencing the Buckeyes.

ESPN FPI currently gives the Huskies, one of 40 bowl-eligible teams, just a 9.2 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Honestly, to reach that rarified college football air, the Huskies, after using up another bye week, will need to win at Wisconsin, at home against Purdue, at UCLA and back in town against sixth-ranked Oregon.

All of that seems readily doable with the exception of beating the Ducks, which would take a concentrated upset on their part two days after Thanksgiving.

"I think they're in a beautiful position -- because they're just getting stronger," said Yogi Roth from the Big Ten Network, referring to the Huskies.

There's some truth to that. Consider the fact that when they had their first-unit offensive completely healthy, the Huskies were a handful for everyone. Their offense was productive They were hard to beat.

When offensive tackle Carver Willis went down with a knee injury against Ohio State, the UW was trailing just 7-3 with halftime approaching and in it all the way to the end of the third quarter.

The UW took both the Buckeyes and Michigan through competitive games before tailing off over the final 15 minutes each time.

In recent weeks, the UW has welcomed back from the injured list cornerback Tacario Davis, linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, linebacker Jacob Manu, edge rusher Zach Durfee, offensive guard John Mills and Willis, which was a lot of firepower to have standing on the sideline.

"I don't think anyone wants to play UW," Roth said.

While the Huskies need to avoid an upset, their postseason path seems to come down to that Oregon game.

Win it, and they're 10-2 and at least in the 12-team playoff discussion.

Lose to the Ducks, and the UW still is probably looking at a reasonable postseason match-up and another chance to win a 10th game.

ESPN currently has the Huskies returning to the Alamo Bowl for the second time in four years and on Dec. 30 facing now 22nd-ranked Houston (7-1 overall, 4-1 Big 12).

CBS puts the UW in the Los Angeles Bowl against San Diego State (6-1 overall, 3-0 Mountain West) on Dec. 13.

College Football News suggests the Huskies will face Wake Forest (5-2 overall, 2-2 ACC) and former WSU coach Jake Dickert in the Jan. 2 Holiday Bowl.

Ah, it would be so much easier to simply advance to the College Football Playoff and see what happens.

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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