The Washington Huskies are in a new conference which means new programs to learn and new rivalries to bloom. In the inaugural season of the Big 10 conference the Huskies will see all of the former Pac-12 teams, but will be introduced to six new conference foes. In this series we will look at the program in 2024 and the worry meter of a Washington loss (1 no worries-10 extremely worried). First up, Northwestern.
The Wildcats had an impressive year in 2023 when their backs were against the wall. Pat Fitzgerald was fired due to extreme hazing throughout his tenure. David Braun, the newly hired defensive coordinator stepped in as head coach as well continuing duties on the defensive side of the ball.
The 2023 season was nothing short of a miracle as the former 1-win team (zero wins in the USA) went onto to finish the year with an 8-5 record including a 14-7 Vegas Bowl win over Utah. The major question revolving around the program is can they keep up the magic?
Heading into 2024 the Wildcats will first have to find their new starting quarterback. Ben Bryant is out of eligibility and Brendan Sullivan transferred to Iowa. Longtime college quarterback Ryan Hilinski or dual threat transfer Mike Wright.
No one in football has the job the Huskies have in front of them in a total rebuild of a O-line, but Northwestern has it bad. They were rated as a poor offensive line and lost their best o-lineman, Josh Priebe to Michigan.
At the skill positions the Wildcats bring back their top running back in Cam Porter as well as two of their top three receivers in Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning. The question mark will be around protection of the quarterback and the effectiveness of Hilinski or Wright.
The defensive side of the ball is where this team will be more productive. Like all teams in the Big 10 west, the Wildcats’ strength is in their front seven. They bring back most of their defensive line as well as linebacker Xander Mueller.
The defense also boasts some talent at the edge position which will be key to any sort of success because they are thin in the secondary. The Wildcats lost their two starting corners and will have to find the correct combination to put pressure on opposing offenses.
This is the perfect game for Washington to land for their first Big 10 conference game. Washington has the talent outside and the smart quarterback to take advantage of the thin secondary.
Many have said that the thing that Steve Belichick does is take away the biggest strength of an opposing offense. I expect the Huskies to force the Wildcats to try to beat them through the air and to trust the secondary to make the quarterback’s life miserable. Stacking the box to stop the run will be paramount in this game including stopping quarterback runs.
Worry Meter: 2
