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Washington Huskies slip slightly in Big Ten ESPN FPI rankings following road loss

By Ethan Lee

Sep 27, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Washington Huskies running back Jonah Coleman (1) runs the ball as Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Bo Mascoe (3) pursues during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Washington Huskies running back Jonah Coleman (1) runs the ball as Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Bo Mascoe (3) pursues during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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While there were plenty of reasons to fault the Washington Huskies with their road loss against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from this past Friday, it doesn’t seem like ESPN’s latest Football Power Index rankings thinks the Huskies are a bad team.

Following the narrow loss on the road to Rutgers, the Huskies are still sitting right in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Things could certainly be much worse for Washington after all of the issues that this loss to Rutgers exposed in week five, but right now, Washington is ranked as the No. 10 team in the conference.

For what it’s worth, Rutgers is ranked as the No. 12 team in the Big Ten (which is up to 18 teams, by the way), according to the latest ESPN FPI rankings.

Washington Huskies drop to No. 10 in Big Ten’s ESPN FPI rankings after loss vs. Rutgers

Unsurprisingly, the teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans are at the top of the rankings in that order. The Indiana Hoosiers (ranked at No. 16 nationally) are currently the No. 5 team in the Big Ten.

That’s actually pretty impressive.

Here’s what the full Big Ten conference looks like when looking at the latest ESPN FPI rankings:

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 3)
  2. Penn State Nittany Lions (No. 8)
  3. Oregon Ducks (No. 9)
  4. USC Trojans (No. 11)
  5. Indiana Hoosiers (No. 16)
  6. Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 24)
  7. Michigan Wolverines (No. 26)
  8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (No. 29)
  9. Maryland Terrapins (No. 30)
  10. Washington Huskies (No. 33)
  11. Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 43)
  12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (No. 45)
  13. Minnesota Golden Gophers (No. 56) 
  14. Wisconsin Badgers (No. 62)
  15. Michigan State Spartans (No. 65)
  16. UCLA Bruins (No. 78)
  17. Northwestern Wildcats (No. 86)
  18. Purdue Boilermakers (No. 99)

Things could certainly be worse for the Huskies, but the road up ahead won’t be very forgiving. Washington isn’t expected to get to six wins in the regular season, according to the ESPN FPI projections. The two close losses they suffered vs. Rutgers and Washington State certainly have a lot to do with that. 

FPI still thinks somewhat highly of Washington, but the Huskies definitely need to find a way to get some wins because they’ve got the Nittany Lions, Ducks, Trojans, Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Michigan Wolverines still on the schedule.

That could present some very real challenges when it comes to trying to get to bowl eligibility for Fisch and the Huskies this season.

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