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Washington football: 5 best seasons in Huskies’ history, ranked

By Ethan Lee

19 Oct 1991: University of Washington Huskies quarterback Billy Joe Hobert calls out the play in the huddle during game against the University of California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California. The University of Washington won the g
19 Oct 1991: University of Washington Huskies quarterback Billy Joe Hobert calls out the play in the huddle during game against the University of California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California. The University of Washington won the g /
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Best Washington football seasons
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

2. Washington football claims the national championship.

Back in 1960, when the Washington football team was a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities, the Huskies were able to field a magnificent team that eventually won itself a significant amount of attention down the stretch of the season.

As they started the season at No. 3 in the AP poll, the Huskies appeared to have the sort of team that would have been able to run the table. But an unfortunate loss to No. 17 Navy prevented that from happening.

Following two solid, impressive wins over Pacific and Idaho, the Huskies were  taken down by Navy. The Midshipmen’s victory would be the first and only loss Washington would endure during 1960, and it was a one-point, 15-14 defeat for the Huskies. Still, that one point loss knocked Washington down to No. 12.

The Huskies would go on to win out in the regular season, but there were plenty of close calls for Washington. They escaped the No. 15 UCLA Bruins 10-8, snuck past Oregon State 30-29, managed to beat Oregon 7-6, and later Washington State 8-7.

That run through the stretch of the regular season helped Washington win a conference title. With the AAWU conference title in hand, the No. 6 Huskies hiked on over to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl against No. 1 Minnesota. And the Huskies came out on top, winning 17-7.

In 1960, Washington went 10-1, won the Rose Bowl, claimed a conference championship, and also had a good enough year to lay claim to the national championship that season.

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