Washington’s no good, very bad day magnified by Alabama holding on vs. South Carolina

Washington had a chance to crack the AP Top 25 in Week 8, and totally blew it vs. Iowa on Saturday. The Huskie were no match for the ... Iowa offense, as the Hawkeyes blew the barn doors off of them in their 40-16 rout over U-Dub. While Washington still in the mix to get to a bowl game at 4-3, they are out of the College Football Playoff mix entirely. Also, they can't believe what happened in Tuscaloosa.

After getting upset last week in Nashville, Kalen DeBoer's Alabama Crimson Tide nearly fell at home to the unranked South Carolina Gamecocks. While Shane Beamer's team played about as well as it could have, LaNorris Sellers, Raheim Morris and the South Carolina offense did not have enough points in the tank to hold off Jalen Milroe and company late. Alabama improved to 5-1 on the season.

While much will be dissected from Alabama's 27-25 victory over South Carolina, one thing is certain from the Washington perspective. I bet the Husky faithful are wishing that DeBoer never left Seattle. Yes, Jedd Fisch has had his moments, but we have to accept that he is dealing with a very difficult transitional process for the Huskies in replacing DeBoer, as well as joining a new league in the Big Ten.

The interesting part in all this for me is Washington still feels somewhat directionless seven weeks in.

Washington's loss to Iowa is magnified after Kalen DeBoer's lucky win

From DeBoer's perspective, it is the type of win you can look to build on. South Carolina largely outplayed Alabama all afternoon, yet the Crimson Tide proved victorious. As for Washington, the Huskies just got blown out on the road vs. an Iowa team we didn't think could score 40 points in a week. Under Tim Lester's predecessor Brian Ferentz, it would take Iowa a month to score 40 points.

The one thing I regret saying the most this past offseason was how Fisch was clearly using Washington as a stepping stone job to get to Florida. Right now, I think the Big Ten of it all is proving to be more than enough for the former Pac-12 head coach to handle. One day, he may take over at his alma mater, but Fisch's Huskies lost their third game of the season before Billy Napier lost his third...

Overall, it is amazing what a difference a year can make. Washington was playing for a national championship and gearing up to make some noise once it joined the Big Ten. Alabama was back in the playoff under the greatest head coach of all time. Flash forward to Oct. 12, and Washington is already out of it, and nobody trusts DeBoer in Tuscaloosa, especially after the last two weekends.

Washington has to beat UCLA, but may need to steal another game to ensure itself of a 6-6 record...