2016 record: 12-2, 8-1 Pac-12 (lost in CFP semis)
Coach: Chris Petersen (fourth year)
Sked or alive? After another joke of a non-con slate (Rutgers, Montana, Fresno State … really?), Washington opens Pac-12 play with road games at Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona State in the first four weeks. But the Huskies will be favored in all of them. And, making things even easier, they don’t face USC in the regular season.
Why they’re here: Petersen has the best roster from top to bottom in the Pac-12, and fewer land mines to negotiate between now and December than conference co-favorite USC. Anything less than an 11-1 record heading into the Pac-12 Championship Game would be a disappointment. This may be the Huskies’ year.
