As the Washington Huskies head to Eugene, Oregon to meet up with the Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium this weekend, there isn’t an abundance of pressure on UW to win this game to be able to make it to a bowl game. But, while a win over a No. 1 Oregon Ducks team would be a signature victory and worth celebrating all on its own, the outcome could influence what bowl game UW ends up in.
The Huskies secured bowl eligibility a couple weeks ago when they took down the UCLA Bruins back home on Montlake. Now, at 6-5 on the season, Washington doesn’t know its exact end destination for a bowl game and there’s a chance the Huskies could be travelling a bit.
During his press conference this week, Washington head coach Jedd Fisch was asked about this and how that might influence UW’s recruiting efforts. Specifically, Fisch was asked what his thoughts would be on possibly not playing a bowl game in California given the way he and his staff recruit through the state.
But, the head coach of the Huskies didn’t seem too phased by possibly not being in California for bowl season.
Jedd Fisch asked about Washington Huskies bowl destination and recruiting efforts ahead of rivalry game against Oregon Ducks
“California, Vegas, you know all those areas are big recruiting hotbeds for us, so those are great opportunities,” Fisch noted.
But, as he also explained, there are quite a few bowl games and quite a few opportunities. And it remains to be seen as to where Fisch and the Huskies could end up.
“There's a lot of bowl games - I know they were in Texas a couple years ago at the Alamo Bowl,” Fisch said. “I know it was the Washington-Texas game in and then it was the Arizona-Oklahoma game in 2023.”
As he explained, the whole deal is impacted by the recent wave of college football conference realignment. And that might influence what bowl picks the Huskies (whether that’s in Las Vegas, Texas, or California).
“I think there's a lot more that goes into it other than our game against Oregon,” Fisch explained. “I think we're gonna have to see what happens in the Big 12, or is it any of the Pac-12 teams that make it, whether that be Arizona State or Colorado.”
All the Huskies can really do at this point? Focus on playing football, specifically the game that’s directly in front of them. UW can control what it can control. Nothing more.
“We're just going to try to control our own destiny by playing really well Saturday,” Fisch said.
We’ll see where the Huskies end up. There’s a ton of factors at play here and, should the Huskies actually find a way to take down the top-ranked team in the country, then we’ll quite possibly see some things change all across the country. So, maybe let’s introduce a little chaos this weekend?