A New Year’s Six bowl appeared to be out of the question for Washington just a week ago but things have changed since then. The Huskies’ 41-14 beat down over Washington State and Notre Dame’s blowout loss at Stanford opened the door for UW.
The Huskies are currently ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings. With a non-power five team guaranteed a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl, UW needs to jump two spots to likely end up in the Cotton Bowl. But moving up will be hard for a few reasons.
1. Washington doesn’t play
The Huskies saw their Pac-12 title hopes come crashing down after their 30-22 loss at Stanford. Instead of getting ready to prepare this week for a Pac-12 Championship game, UW will be watching on TV with no way to directly improve their resume.
2. TCU
The Horned Frogs, sitting at No. 11 create a major hurdle for the Huskies. TCU plays Oklahoma in the Big-12 Championship this Saturday. A win or close game against Oklahoma will almost certainly assure the Horned Frogs a birth in a New Year’s Six bowl.
3. Stanford
If Stanford beats USC in the Pac-12 title, UW will likely not be going to a New Year’s Six bowl.
Here is what likely needs to happen for UW to get an invitation to the Cotton Bowl….
1. USC beats Stanford
Stanford will certainly drop with a loss to USC in the Pac-12 Championship game. It would be the Cardinal’s fourth loss of the season. The Huskies would likely pass Stanford in the rankings in that scenario. USC beat Stanford, 42-24, back on September 9.
2. TCU losses big against Oklahoma
Not only does TCU need to lose, they likely need to lose big against Oklahoma. As Jon Wilner of the Mercury New points out, that only one team in the playoff era has been pulled from a New Year’s Six bowl after losing in their conference Championship. Interestingly enough, that team pulled from a New Year’s Six bowl was Colorado – last year after losing 41-10 to Washington. So Husky fans will be big Sooner fans this Saturday.
3. Fresno State wins the Mountain West Championship
Jeff Tedford’s Fresno State team has surprised everyone, finishing the regular season 9-3 and a ranking of No. 25. The Bulldogs face Boise State in the Mountain West Championship game this Saturday. So why is Fresno State winning important? The Huskies beat Fresno State, 48-16, back on September 9. A Fresno State win Saturday would give UW two top-25 wins for the season – improving their resume.
Even if all those things happen there’s no guarantee Washington ends up in the Cotton Bowl. But there is a small chance. Washington’s most likely landing spot is the Alamo Bowl. If Stanford were to beat USC, then it would likely be the Holiday bowl for the Huskies.
