5 college football teams that will be worse than you think in 2024
By John Buhler
2. Washington Huskies are going to a new league with a new head coach
Had Kalen DeBoer just stayed put, I would not have the Washington Huskies on this list at all. In fact, I would have them as a lock to make the expanded 12-team playoff out of the new Big Ten. But with that in mind, there may not be a bigger pullback candidate across the Power Four than U-Dub. This is because not only do they have a new head coach in Jedd Fisch, they are joining a new league.
Truth be told, I like Fisch as a head coach. I am not sure how long he will be in Washington, as his alma mater of Florida could open up as soon as the calendar flips to November. While I want to be proven wrong that he is not just using Washington as the stepping stone job everybody seems to do these days, he has to find a way of recreating the magic he had last year at Arizona with DeBoer's players.
If Fisch was able to bring with him Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan from Tucson to Seattle, then I might have a different opinion of the Huskies. Yes, they are still a bowl team, possibly one that can win upwards of 10 games. For them to even get to double-digit victories, Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers will need to have a season akin to what his predecessor Michael Penix Jr. had under DeBoer.
Washington is still likely a top-six team in the new Big Ten, but that is not good enough for the playoff.