After not earning much national attention in the first few weeks of the 2025 season, the Washington Huskies are taking a step in the right direction in terms of earning nationwide respect. They open the week as 8.5-point underdogs against the No.1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, not a bad line considering the opponent.
That being said, the Huskies still have the argument to say they are underrated. Once again, Washington didn't receive a single vote in the new top-25 AP poll, one of the only undefeated teams to meet that criteria. Washington is easily better than a program like Maryland, who got six votes, and you can even say they have a similar identity as some ranked teams, like No. 21 USC.
All that can change a week from now, as the Huskies will undoubtedly be ranked if they manage to take down Ohio State, Friday at Husky Stadium. The point spread of 8.5 suggests that the oddsmakers believe they have the capability to do it.
Washington has been favored by double digits in all three of the games it has played this season, and has covered in each one except the first game of 2025 against Colorado State. In this game, the Huskies were favored by 21.5, but only won by 17 points.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is undefeated against the spread this season. As the No. 3 team in the country, they were still slightly favored against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the first game of their season, ultimately covering after a 14-7 home win. After that, the Buckeyes covered as 55.5-point favorites against Grambling, and pushed as 28-point favorites against Ohio.
This makes their Washington matchup one of their tightest spreads all season, making it a tricky game for bettors to take action on. Surely Washington's 22-game home win streak is something that came in to play, as Husky Stadium hosts one of the most advantageous home crowds in college football.
For Husky fans, this marks the beginning of one of the most important weeks in program history. Saturday can't come any sooner.