Joel Klatt, on his college football podcast, thinks the UW could be a Big Ten darkhorse. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Here's Joel Klatt's Blueprint for Huskies Making the Playoffs

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 8:45 PM ET

The Associated Press poll voters weren't very impressed with the latest University of Washington football team, leaving the Huskies completely out of their preseason top 25, as well missing from the two-dozen other schools that received at least one vote.

The UW went 0-for-49 here.

However, FOX football analyst and podcaster Joel Klatt, has a much different and more upbeat take on Jedd Fisch's second team in Seattle, a stance that would make the Huskies one of the nation's dozen playoff entries should everything go exactly how he envisions it.

"Watch out for the Washington Huskies -- they're my pick for the dark horse in the Big Ten," he concluded.

Could Washington crash the CFP party in 2025?

Joel Klatt shares his thoughts on who he feels is the dark horse of the @bigten. pic.twitter.com/89FQNXkl6s
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 14, 2025

In coming to this conclusion, Klatt points to the extra-swift sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., an improved offensive line, the UW's home winning streak that stands at 20 and a favorable schedule, all neatly coming together at once.

Klatt also suggested the Huskies just might have the best quarterback, running back and wide receiver combination in the Big Ten in Williams, Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston, with Boston returning to practice on Thursday after a long layoff..

The football analyst continues to speak highly of the UW hiring of Ryan Walters as new defensive coordinator. Full disclosure, Klatt and Walters were teammates at Colorado, initially both quarterbacks for the Buffaloes before Walters was converted into a much-decorated safety.

He said it is mandatory for the UW to do a better job of protecting Williams after giving up a Big Ten high 39 sacks in 2024, including 15 alone to Oregon and Louisville in the final two games.

Klatt also pointed how the Huskies play three of their four toughest games at Husky Stadium -- Ohio State, Illinois and Oregon, counter to traveling to Michigan -- and all Fisch's players have to do is split those four match-ups and take care of everyone else to have a playoff-berth season.

"Hold on a second, the more I looked at Washington, the more I thought to myself, if they get any momentum whatsoever, if they protect their quarterback whatsoever, if they protect their home-field advantage whatsoever, this is a team that could absolutely, absolutely, be a 9-2 team hosting Oregon the last week of the season.,' Klatt explained.

"If they're in that boat, they could absolutely claim that if they win that game, they would go to the college football playoff. This is a team I'm bullish on."

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

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