The Associated Press released its college football preseason Top 25 rankings Monday morning, with the Washington Huskies sitting at No. 17.
While fans expressed optimism about the program being slated inside the top 20, the poll reveals much more than the voters’ opinions of the Huskies. Of the nine Big Ten opponents Washington will face in 2026, five are ranked to start the season.
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Despite the treacherous schedule, there is a silver lining. The Huskies get to play host in three of the five matchups, with No. 6 Indiana, No. 18 Penn State, and No. 22 Iowa all slated to travel to Montlake. On the other side of the coin, they will travel to a couple of familiar venues to face No. 2 Oregon and No. 14 USC.
With one of the more challenging schedules in the Big Ten, the recipe to make a College Football Playoff run is evident: defend home turf and hold your own on the road. Fortunately, the Huskies are one of the best home teams in college football, with a 21-4 record over the past 25 games at Husky Stadium.
Although the five ranked matchups will rightfully receive most of the anticipation, there are a few noticeable trap games that should not go unnoticed. The Huskies head to Lincoln to take on Nebraska on Halloween night, as well as a road trip to Michigan State in between hosting Penn State and Indiana.
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As Washington enters their third year in the Big Ten, Jedd Fisch and his coaching staff are no strangers to the brutality of playing in a conference that has produced the last three national champions, all of whom have had to play a game at Husky Stadium the following season.
Washington opens conference play at home against Minnesota on September 26.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: AP Top 25 Rankings Reveal Brutality of Washington Football’s Schedule
