Washington Football: A rundown of Huskies future opponents

Future November opponents

By the time November rolls in, the teams will have a good sense of who the true national powers are, and who needs to make drastic changes to land a bowl invitation.

Nebraska (1-0) at Oregon (1-0)

There was a time when this may have been a contest between two top ten teams. That is not the case today, as neither team has been able to crack the national rankings. This contest does favor Oregon, as Nebraska is on the road and has not been a powerhouse when away from their own stadium. Add the wildfire effect to air quality, and the Cornhuskers will have plenty of distractions and excuses for showing up soft in this one. The Oregon Ducks have all the advantage, and win handily.

UPDATE: Oregon 42 Nebraska 35

Stanford (1-0) at USC (1-0)
Despite the national hoopla over the USC Trojans being the best Pac-12 team, it truly never showed in their week one contest. The USC Trojans were in a dead heat in their season opener against Western Michigan until a fourth quarter rally sealed the win. In that contest, superstar Sam Darnold threw for no touchdowns and two interceptions.

You can bet the Stanford Cardinals are licking their chops to get USC this week. No Pac-12 team enjoys the national spotlight on rookies who have yet to prove themselves. Now, with Stanford already positioned as a dark horse for Pac-12 success, they have a chance to drive a nail in the coffin of the Trojans.

If Standford wins, that sets up the contest against the Huskies. If USC wins, that likely means the Huskies must win the Pac-12 North to even have a chance of facing the Trojans. I think the USC defense is suspect. I go Stanford in this one.