Unless you’ve been living under a very large rock you’ve probably noticed that the Big Ten is expanding this upcoming season. The additions of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will drastically change the landscape of college football and continue to cement the Big Ten alongside the SEC as the nation’s premier conferences. While all four teams will pose unique challenges for their new conferences foes, they won’t join the Big Ten — officially official later this summer — without challenges of their own to overcome. Here’s an introductory look at each program, today it’s Washington. Yesterday it was USC.
Last 10 Years: Washington has managed to carve out a nice spot for itself in the college football landscape. While the Huskies have fallen a bit short of being elite – up until the previous two seasons – Washington had been a consistent force in the PAC-12 on a regular basis. Chris Petersen’s six seasons at the helm fo the program marked some of the best the Huskies have had to offer winning 10+ games in three-straight seasons. The past two seasons hit a different level though as Washington went 11-2 in 2022 before falling in the national title game in 2023. Washington has won three-straight bowl games after losing four out of the previous five.
Series History: Penn State is 3-0 in its brief series against Washington having won the most recent in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl as Saquon Barkley and company made one final curtain call. The 35-28 final was the highest scoring game in the series. Prior to that the two teams actually faced off in Hawaii in the 1983 Aloha Bowl with Penn State winning 13-10. The first meeting was a 1921 clash with the Nittany Lions taking home a 21-7 win.
Offseason Stories: Much like USC the questions for Washington this season will center around change. Without Kalen DeBoer at the helm of the program and quarterback Michael Penix under center, there are far more questions than answers for the Huskies in 2024. Jeff Fisch takes over a tough spot in his first season with the program after a short stint at Arizona. Fisch was able to do decently well with the often forgotten program, the type of building that Washington will need moving forward. If the Huskies can manage to replace Penix and if Fisch can match DeBoer’s touch, it will go a long way towards not taking too many steps backwards.
This Year: Washington’s ability to find success historically breeds some optimism that it can do so again in the future but it will likely be a challenge in the immediate future. Games against Michigan, Iowa, USC, Oregon and Penn State will do little to help the cause this upcoming season. Washington gets Michigan and Iowa in back-to-back weeks while facing USC and Penn State in back-to-back weeks a little bit later on. Sprinkle in an Apple Cup against Washington State and there’s little room to rest for this bunch. Welcome to the Big Ten, indeed.
Known Future Meetings: Penn State will host Washington in 2024 before traveling out west to face the Huskies in 2026. Washington will make the return trip to State College the following year for a Penn State home schedule that will feature Washington, Michigan State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions will travel on the road in 2027 to Oregon and Wisconsin to round out a heavy-hitter schedule. The series will go on hold in 2028 with no Big Ten schedules released beyond that season at this point.
Overall: Washington’s recent success and ability to succeed under more than one head coach should give Husky fans a reason to look forward to the future. That being said there’s no denying that a lot of change and a challenging schedule don’t do the Huskies any favors. Don’t count on Washington making a return trip to the national title game, but don’t count Washington out in the long term either.
