College football’s 5 biggest disappointing teams of 2019

Though the division rival Stanford Cardinal’s had the proverbial year from hell, what on earth happened to the Washington Huskies this season? They won the Pac-12 a year ago and were one of the favorites to win it again and contend for a College Football Playoff berth. It was Jacob Eason‘s first year as the starting quarterback, yet the team is 6-5 heading into the Apple Cup.

Eason had to sit out a year after transferring from the University of Georgia back to his native Washington. He has one of the strongest arms in college football and has the prototypical look of an NFL franchise quarterback. However, none of that really mattered this year, as the Huskies have lost to every division rival but the halfway decent Oregon State Beavers this season.

Though they get the archrival Washington State Cougars in Seattle for the Apple Cup, both teams are 6-5 and no team has the decided advantage over the other. Washington will probably win, but Chris Petersen’s team should be several wins better than at best 7-5 during the 12-game regular season. Washington should be a team that goes 9-3 or 10-2 every year with a coach like that.

If the Huskies played like they normally do under Petersen, then the Pac-12 would have had better than an outside chance at qualifying for the College Football Playoff. Their regression in 2019 is a reason that teams like the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes have no margin for error. A Pac-12 loss ended Oregon’s season and Utah is the Power 5 conference’s only remaining Playoff hope.