The Washington football team opens up their season on September 2nd with an intriguing home matchup against Boise State football. This is a big season for the Huskies, and a big season for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penix Jr. transferred to Washington from Indiana football and helped flip a switch on last year's team after a disappointing 2021 season. Washington finished with an 11-2 record last year, and the Huskies come into this season ranked #10 in the country. Expectations are high for this team.

Expectations are not only high for the team, but also for Michael Penix Jr. Him and the Huskies are in a conference that features some of the best QBs in the league this year as the Pac-12 has Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Cam Rising, and Penix Jr. will have to out perform them. Penix Jr. will have head to head games against all of these QBs as Washington has USC football, Oregon football and Utah on the 2023 schedule. Those games are going to be fun.

Penix Jr. doesn't just want to be the best QB in the Pac-12, however, he wants to be the best player in college football. The preseason Heisman odds suggest that he might be able to pull that off. Penix Jr. currently has the sixth best odds to win the Heisman trophy at +1600. It's going to be an exciting season for Penix Jr., and here are four predictions for his 2023 campaign.

4. Michael Penix Jr. will throw for 5,000 yards

Last season, Penix Jr. finished the season with 4,641 passing yards. He wasn't too far away from the 5,000 mark, and he can get there this season. One important note is that the Huskies played 13 games last season. If they can make the Pac-12 championship game and maybe even the College Football Playoff, that could give Penix Jr. up to two more games. If that's the case, he might achieve 5,000 yards fairly easily if he's playing like he did last year.

Penix Jr. had eight interceptions last season, and with another year of growth, he can shed that number down and increase his passing yards on the season.

3. Michael Penix Jr. will throw 35 touchdown passes

If Penix Jr. can shed down his interceptions closer to the 4-6 range, not only will his passing yards go up, but his touchdown passes will too. He finished the 2022 season with 31 TDs, and he can get that number up this year. With another offseason with Washington under his belt, Penix Jr. has likely taken a big stride that will result in his play being at another level this season. He can definitely hit the 35 TD mark.

2. Michael Penix Jr. won't throw more than five interceptions

Speaking of those interceptions, they are going to drop this season. I expect Penix Jr. to take strides in every facet of the game, and that includes decision making and accuracy. For the two predictions above to be true, this one has to be true. Taking care of the football will be crucial for Penix Jr. and the Washington football team, and if he can do it, he's going to have a special season.

1. Michael Penix Jr. will be in New York at the end of the season

There are a lot of very talented QBs in college football that are capable of putting up the numbers that I just predicted for Penix Jr., so who knows if he'll win in, but Penix Jr. will be a Heisman finalist in December. He put up absurd numbers last season for the Huskies and is bound to take a step forward in 2023. If he does, it'll be hard to him not to be a Heisman finalist. It's going to be an exciting football season for Washington.