It’s never been any bigger than this.
On Saturday the University of Washington football team, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press preseason poll, opens its season by traveling to Atlanta to take on No. 9 Auburn in what may be the biggest non-conference season opener in Huskies history.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is technically a neutral site, but given it’s located in the heart of SEC country will be anything but. And this game, despite being the opener for both teams, has all kinds of College Football Playoff implications. A loss in this one will have both teams playing catch-up all season long, so no pressure fellows.
It’s been a long time since the Huskies had an opener anything like this. The last time Washington’s season began with a game between two ranked teams was 2003, when the No. 17 Huskies (coached by Keith Gilbertson) opened the season at No. 2 Ohio State with a 28-9 loss. The last time Washington was involved in an opener that featured two teams ranked in the top 10 was more than 50 years ago in 1962, when the No. 10 Huskies (coached by Jim Owens) and No. 7 Purdue played to a 7-7 tie on Montlake.
If we eliminate the requirement of the game being an opener, this is probably Washington’s biggest early-season non-conference game since 2000, when the No. 15 Huskies (coached by Rick Neuheisel) upset No. 4 and eventual national champion Miami 34-29 at Husky Stadium en route to an 11-1 season and a No. 3 final ranking.
Both teams had CFP aspirations last year. Washington was in the mix until a surprising late-season loss at Stanford. The Huskies ended up finishing 10-3 and No. 16 in the final poll. Auburn had an inside track on a CFP berth after beating No. 1 Alabama, but the Tigers lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game, finishing the season 10-4 and No. 10 in the final poll.
Both teams are hoping to rectify things this year. Washington has a ton of experience on offense with a pair of senior All-American candidates at key skill positions in quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin, as well as a stacked defense led by a secondary filled with potential NFLers. Auburn has a dynamic quarterback of its own in junior Jarrett Stidham, and the Tigers have one of the country’s most feared defensive fronts led by junior defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
The betting line had Auburn as a 2.5-point favorite as of Monday, which while not a pick’em, is still tight.
So who do you got? Vote here:
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