After a surprising season, Washington Football is predicted to solidify their success this year by winning the Pac-12 North
The Washington Football team is ahead of schedule. The team that was projected to improve last season won the conference. So what does Coach Petersen do for an encore? Well, per the Pac-12 Conference media days, win the north. However, much like the national media, USC is once more favored to win it all.
For the 33rd time in conference history, USC is predicted to win the 2017 #Pac12FB title! More: https://t.co/eDgEfgjnQ5 pic.twitter.com/nTH2y5AByY
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) July 26, 2017
Recruiting rankings don’t deliver wins
Media focuses upon certain key indicators to make predictions. Last season USC found a good quarterback in freshman Sam Darnold. Powered by Darnold’s arm, the Trojans defeated Penn State University in a scoring festival. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies ground to a halt by the Alabama Crimson Tide.
On one hand, USC ended their season with a win. On the other hand, Washington ended their season in a loss. From that ending, the Pac-12 media predicts USC will win the conference. If that occurs, it will be the USC Trojans first Pac-12 championship since the 2008 days of head coach Pete Carroll.
The survey results
The final tally from the media survey is shown below.
| North Division | South Division | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| School | Points | School | Points |
| 1. Washington (49) | 309 | 1. USC (49) | 309 |
| 2. Stanford (1) | 247 | 2. Utah (1) | 220 |
| 3. Washington State (1) | 206 | 3. UCLA (1) | 209 |
| 4. Oregon (1) | 163 | 4. Colorado (1) | 182 |
| 5. Oregon State | 101 | 5. Arizona State | 109 |
| 6. California | 64 | 6. Arizona | 61 |
It’s no surprise that the Washington Football team falls short in the polls. As we had pointed out, the current roster is led by recruits who committed to the program in 2014. Players like three-star defensive tackle Greg Gaines lead the Washington Huskies now. That recruiting class was ranked 38th nationally, and seventh in the Pac-12. And yet, the team is far more successful than any other program. How can that be?
Washington Football is team first
Fit. Teamwork. Coaching.
The biggest question mark to the Washington Huskies is the performance of the secondary. That is the responsibility of coach Jimmy Lake, one of the NCAA’s finest position coaches for defensive backs. If defensive backs are the Achilles Tendon on this team, you can bet on success for the Huskies.
Next: ESPN reports Pac-12 needs strong USC and Washington Football for good of conference
Predictions, much like recruiting class rankings, do not seem to hold up on the football field. In the end, it takes performance. Which team wants the win more? In the end, that seems to favor the Washington Huskies right now.