Fansided

5 reasons Washington can still make the College Football Playoff

By Nathaniel Reeves

Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen walks on the sidelines during the third quarter against the USC Trojans at Husky Stadium. USC defeated Washington, 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen walks on the sidelines during the third quarter against the USC Trojans at Husky Stadium. USC defeated Washington, 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite a crushing loss to the USC Trojans on Saturday, the Washington Huskies still have a great chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Chaos reigned in Week 11 of the 2016 college football regular season, as the playoff picture was shaken up by a number of upsets around the nation.

In certainly the most chaotic weekend of the College Football Playoff era, five top ten teams went down, including three of the top four. That included No. 4 Washington, which got punched in the mouth on its home turf by USC in a 26-13 loss for its first defeat of the year.

While the Huskies were hyped coming into the season despite going 7-6 a year ago, few expected them to be quite this good. Washington raced out to a 9-0 start with only two games decided by one score, and earned an impressive road win over Utah on October 29.

Just a couple of weeks ago, it looked like the Huskies would have to run the table to make the College Football Playoff. However, given all the upsets on Saturday, Washington still has a great chance to reach the semifinals and arguably controls its own destiny.

Here are five reasons the Huskies should be considered a playoff threat despite the tough loss on Saturday.

5. Chris Petersen will help the Huskies bounce back

Few coaches are better equipped to handle a crushing defeat than Petersen, who figures to have Washington completely focused on the task ahead.

The message from Petersen to his team all season long has been to tune out the rankings and playoff projections. That will need to be particularly true this week, as the Huskies could disappointingly drop even behind some two loss teams in the committee ranking..

Petersen has done a good job of guiding the Huskies through a few trap games this year, which will need to continue on Saturday with 5-5 Arizona State coming to town. Assuming it can take care of business this week, Washington should have no trouble getting up for the Apple Cup with the Pac-12 North on the line.

While many teams may be prone to a letdown following the end of a lengthy winning streak, Petersen will have the Huskies ready to play over the rest of the season. If Washington can win the next three games, it likely won’t need outside help to reach the College Football Playoff.

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