CAN’T SLEEP ON WASH.
IT HARDLY matters that Washington can beat just about any team in the country if it can’t end its years-long losing streak to sleep.
For the second straight season, the Huskies are ripping through their schedule, blowing away opponents on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Washington ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 44 points per game. Defensively, the Huskies rank fifth, giving up fewer than 11 points per game.
Yet, despite coming off a Pac-12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance, the No. 6 team in the nation remains overshadowed by less talented and accomplished teams, largely because so few people have seen them play.
With Washington scheduled for a 10:45 p.m. EDT kickoff Saturday against California (and next week against Arizona State), coach Chris Petersen voiced his displeasure with his team’s repeated late starts, preventing the regional power from becoming a national brand.
“We want to play at 1 p.m. It hurts us tremendously in terms of national exposure,” Petersen said this week. “No one wants to watch our game on the East Coast that late, and we all know it. We haven’t had a kickoff before 5 p.m. [Pacific time] this season.
“And so it’s painful for our team, it’s painful for our administration, and we know certainly the most important part is for our fans.”
Incredibly, Petersen’s old team at Boise State had more national appeal, annually playing the role of everyone’s favorite outsider. Now, he leads just another West Coast team that is on too late for most of the country to appreciate.
For most of the past two decades, Washington was rightfully ignored, but last season, Pe- tersen led the school to its first conference title in 16 years. This season, an undefeated regular season is in sight, with its three toughest games — Washington State, Utah and Oregon — to be played on the Huskies’ home field.
Third-year starting quarterback Jake Browning just keeps getting better, completing a career-best 71.4 percent of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Myles Gaskin averages more than 7 yards per carry. The defense allows fewer than 4 yards per play and ranks in the top 10 in the nation in turnovers created, while the team ranks in the top 20 in fewest penalties.
Just about every game, you know what you’re going to get from one of the most consistent and well-rounded teams in the nation. So, this week, there is no need to stay up to watch WASHINGTON (-27½) obliterate another conference foe. Just look forward to a fun start to Sunday morning. NORTH CAROLINA STATE (+31/2) over Louisville: Lamar Jackson’s lackluster cast will ensure that Archie Griffin won’t have company anytime soon. OKLAHOMA (-28) over Iowa State: Baker Mayfield and the Sooners were off last week. Here’s your reminder that Saquon Barkley hasn’t won the Heisman Trophy yet. Wake Forest (+21½) over CLEMSON: The underrated Demon Deacons are allowing just 14.4 points per game, and suffered their first loss in a near-upset of Florida State last week. Penn State (-15) over NORTHWESTERN: Still, Barkley should remain in the Heisman lead, facing a Wildcats defense that is allowing 145 rushing yards and 25 points per game against offenses far inferior to that of the Nittany Lions. Georgia (-17½) over VANDERBILT: Two weeks removed from a 59-0 loss to Alabama, the Commodores could get shut out again. The Bulldogs rank just behind Alabama for the top spot in the nation in points allowed per game (9.2), and have been even better than the Crimson Tide in giving up just
244 yards per game, ranking third nationally.
West Virginia (+131/2) over TCU: Just a hunch, but the nation’s second-highest-scoring team might enjoy an afternoon shootout.
FLORIDA STATE (+3) over Miami: This line would have looked ridiculous as recently as two weeks ago. Today, it’s still an early overreaction. The Seminoles haven’t looked great without Deondre Francois, but the talented group should only improve, while Miami hasn’t earned its ranking yet, defeating Duke, Bethune-Cookman and Toledo.
FLORIDA (-3) over Lsu: It’s a good thing the Tigers got rid of Les Miles. Notre Dame (-14½) over NORTH CAROLINA: Enjoy the rare opportunity to take an undervalued Fighting Irish squad, winning by an average of nearly 30 points in their four victories. In its lone loss, Notre Dame might have proved just as much, falling to undefeated Georgia by one point. Maryland (+30) over OHIO STATE: They can’t all be as easy as Rutgers. Nothing can. Alabama (-261/2) over TEXAS A&M: 125-3. That is the combined score of the Tide’s past two games. At this point, you would take them with 10 players on the field. Michigan State (+101/2) over MICHI
GAN: Double-digit spreads shouldn’t be seen in this rivalry, versus Mark Dantonio or against another quietly solid Spartans defense.
Wisconsin (-11) over NEBRASKA: Following wins over Rutgers and Illinois, the Cornhuskers receive a visit from the Badgers. That preparation is about as helpful as playing solitaire before taking the SATs. Washington State (-1½) over OREGON: Call me old-fashioned, but I can’t take a team without knowing who the quarterback is going to be. BEST BETS: Wake Forest, West Virginia, Washington THIS SEASON: 39-36 BEST BETS: 12-3 2014-16 RECORD: 381-370-7