SEATTLE – The Washington football team has dropped to ninth place in the Pacific-10 Conference, but with two games remaining, the Huskies still believe they have a shot at reaching a bowl game.
Washington must beat Stanford and Washington State in the next two weeks to reach six wins and become bowl eligible. Even that, though, would not ensure a postseason invitation. The Huskies need to finish sixth in the conference as well.
Coach Tyrone Willingham said his team has lost some of the ability to control its own destiny, but still believes it has a say in its postseason hopes.
“I would say we’ve lost a little bit of that,” Willingham said of the control over the future. “But I think if you play the numbers out, it’s still dependent on what we do.”
Six other teams could match Washington at 4-5, though that’s obviously unlikely.
Oregon (4-2) and Oregon State (4-2) are both likely to win at least one other game to finish with at least five wins. The Ducks have a home game against Arizona and the Beavers still play Stanford, so wins in those games are likely. Arizona State is 2-4, but has home games against Washington State and UCLA and a finale at Arizona, giving it the most favorable schedule.
UCLA (2-4) has lost four in a row and finishes with Oregon State, Arizona State and USC, and winning more than one of those games could be a chore. Arizona (2-4) meets Cal, Oregon and Arizona State to finish and might not win any of those games.
Washington State (4-3), which continues to be pummeled by injuries, plays at Arizona State this week before finishing with the Huskies.
What that means is the Apple Cup could be huge. If Washington wins this week and WSU loses, it would set up an interesting scenario. A Husky win would also leave the teams tied at 4-5 in the Pac-10. If that record left them tied for sixth in the conference, the Hawaii Bowl would be left to decide which team it wants to match up with Hawaii on Christmas Eve.
“Some of the guys we’re competing with for sixth place have some tough games,” quarterback Carl Bonnell said. “So if we win it out, I think we have a great possibility of getting selected.”
“We still feel like we have a good shot,” receiver Marlon Wood said. “We can still get to six wins and if we do that, we have a chance. But it’s not going to matter if we can’t get to six wins.”
Taking no pleasure: Willingham said he takes no pleasure in watching Stanford struggle since he left six years ago as the head coach of the Cardinal.
“I’ve always said what one person does should be able to stand on its own legs,” Willingham said. “You don’t want someone else to have to suffer to make yourself seem big or larger or be proud of your accomplishments.”
Fast enough? Willingham said he believes his team has “average” speed across the board. He would not say whether he thought one particular position was faster or slower than average.
Preparing for rain: Willingham said the team won’t do anything out of the ordinary to prepare for what is forecast to be a rainy Saturday. The team will work with wet footballs, as it always does, and Willingham said it’s possible the team would practice indoors one of the days this week to ensure that they get some good work done.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
