Washington, Petersen could be ones to solve Alabama
Alabama so dominated the Southeastern Conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision as a whole that the Crimson Tide are nearly the overwhelming favorites to repeat as national champions.
So take pity on Washington, which by virtue of being named the fourth seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings must take on the task of traveling across the country to face big, bad Alabama.
That’s the national take on the Peach Bowl, at least: Alabama is expected to find and take advantage of Washington’s flaws and cruise into the national championship game against the winner of the Fiesta Bowl, either Ohio State or Clemson.
But this point of view ignores the Huskies, winners of the Pac-12, and Washington’s Chris Petersen, who very well might take the rest of this month and flip the script — unearthing areas in which Alabama can be exploited to find the road to a major upset.
Washington has the ability to defeat Alabama, even if the Tide were rarely tested during an unblemished and perhaps historic run through the regular season.
It’ll be a game of matchups, coaching talent, on-field talent and execution. In each area, the Huskies match up better with Alabama than one might expect.
Begin with the play of quarterback Jake Browning and the Huskies offense, which in just one game this season — the team’s lone loss, 26-13 to Southern California — was held to fewer than 31 points. In its last two games, Washington defeated top-25 opponents in Washington State and Colorado by the combined score of 86-27.
Meanwhile, the Huskies de- fense ranks fourth nationally in yards allowed per play and tied for eighth in points allowed per game. On both sides of the ball, and even on special teams, the metrics suggest the Huskies can make a strong run at the Crimson Tide.
But to beat perfection — and Alabama is the Power Five’s lone unbeaten team — will very likely take perfection. The constant in each of Alabama’s rare losses during the last half-decade has been Alabama missteps and mistakes; in other words, Alabama’s losses have been a result of Alabama, not the opposition.
So Washington’s formula for an upset is clear. Alabama has no major weak links, but there might be areas that can be exploited, if just slightly. The Huskies must find those spots, avoid turnovers and force turnovers.
That’s the blueprint, and it’s easier said than done. Petersen has more than earned the benefit of the doubt, as a coach with very few equals across college football — though one equal will be across the field in the Peach Bowl.
But it’s not supposed to be easy to win a national title. To do so, the Huskies must unveil a devastatingly effective game plan to knock off Alabama. It doesn’t get much harder than that.