SEATTLE — A victory in Friday’s Apple Cup game against Washington State, Jake Browning said, carried particular significance.
And not just because of the rivalry.
“The Apple Cup is big, but there were other things at stake, too — bowl eligibility and sending our seniors off with their last game at Husky Stadium,” the Washington Huskies freshman quarterback said. “I think all those weighed into making it a big game.”
Because they won that game — a 45-10 blowout that assured a 6-6 final record and the bowl eligibility the Huskies so desired — they’ll get to play another. They’re just not sure where yet.
There are 10 bowl-eligible teams in the Pac-12 this season, and only seven bowl games with conference affiliation — meaning that Washington, at 6-6 and as the last team to qualify, will almost certainly be headed to a bowl game that is not affiliated with the Pac-12.
That makes their bowl destination a little more tricky to project. There are seemingly several options. A representative from the Independence Bowl (Dec. 26, Shreveport, Louisiana) attended the Apple Cup, indicating that game is at least somewhat interested in inviting Washington.
The Independence Bowl is a lower-tier game affiliated with both the ACC and SEC, though with Clemson (12-0) a likely College Football Playoff participant, it doesn’t appear the ACC, with nine bowl-eligible teams, will be able to fill all of its bowl spots. That would leave the Independence to invite a free-agent team, so to speak, from another conference.
The Huskies could also play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, held Dec. 26 at the Cotton Bowl stadium, because the Big 12 qualified only six teams, and needs a minimum of seven to fill all of its bowl spots.
Other projections have UW in the Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 29, Fort Worth, Texas), or the New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 19, Albuquerque), or the Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24, Honolulu). The picture will become clearer next weekend, after conference championship games have been played and CFP participants have been decided.
Huskies coaches will spend the upcoming week recruiting. Head coach Chris Petersen said he’s glad his young team gets to play another game after finishing the season with blowout victories over Oregon State and WSU
“It means a lot, and not only going, but winning a bowl game,” Petersen said. “That’s something we’ll start talking about tomorrow or the next day. That’s on the docket. That’s really important — wherever we end up, that we go and play well in a bowl game. I’m excited for these guys, because we’ve kind of had our backs to the wall. It’s been a battle all season long. But I do think there’s progress. I think they feel it, and I think that’s important for confidence.
“… That’s what I thought about all along, was like, I’d like these guys to be able to play another game. I think that’s really important.”
This will be UW’s sixth consecutive season with a bowl appearance. The Huskies are 2-3 in bowl games since 2010, most recently losing 30-22 to Oklahoma State in the Cactus Bowl.
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