If you look at the front of the Washington football team's helmets, it reads “Dawgs.” But by now, perhaps it should read “underdogs.”
With the College Football Playoff top-4 set—controversy and all—it's now left to two semifinal games with the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl to decide who will vie for the national championship. The Sugar Bowl between Washington football and Texas currently has the largest point spread, with the Longhorns a 4.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel. But that's something that the Huskies are used to at this point.
Washington football keeps finding themselves as the underdog
After Washington beat Oregon back in October, signaling to the college football world that they were indeed for real, the bloom quickly came off that rose once they struggled to beat Arizona State the following week. In fact, the Huskies didn't even score an offensive touchdown in their 15-7 showing, and Michael Penix Jr., who had firmly placed his name as the Heisman favorite the week before, threw two interceptions to no touchdowns.
That's all it took to doubt head coach Kalen DeBoer's team. The same team that had won 14 straight games going back to the 2022 season, the same season DeBoer took over the program. Before DeBoer's arrival, however, Washington had only won seven games total in the previous two seasons and hadn't posted a double-digit win season since 2018.
Maybe that's why everyone was so hesitant to trust this Washington football team. Had it really changed in just two seasons? Even though the Huskies' next three games weren't always won in the prettiest of manners, they still ended up beating their opponents by two scores. It was then left to face a No. 11 Oregon State team on the road.
At one point during the week leading up to the matchup with the Beavers, the Huskies were a 1.5-point underdog. But DeBoer's team proved that was okay with them and edged out a 22-20 victory over Oregon State on a rainy night in Corvallis.
The Apple Cup against in-state rival Washington State further left oddsmakers and analysts doubting that Washington was truly capable of beating Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. After all, it took a risky play-call from DeBoer on a fourth-and-1 deep in the Huskies' territory to pull off the win. As a result, Washington entered the Pac-12 title game as almost a 10-point underdog.
Mind you, this was the same Washington football team that had just beaten the Ducks in their last two meetings going back to last season, and as early as October of this year. It was true that Oregon was playing at a high level, outright dominating their opponents on the way to the conference title game. But the doubters for Washington, especially nearly 10 points worth of doubt, were peculiar.
Ironically, in Las Vegas, at Allegiant Stadium, the site of the Pac-12 Championship Game, DeBoer and the Huskies bet on themselves. By halftime, they were up on Oregon 20-10 and held on to beat them once again by a field goal, the same as earlier in the season, They not only walked out as the final champions in Pac-12 history, but later claimed the No. 2 ranking in the College Football Playoff, headed to the Sugar Bowl.
Now, with a chance to make and win their first national championship since 1991, No. 2 Washington once again will be underdogs when they face No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. But with their backs up against the wall and full of doubters, fighting the likes of even destiny that some have perceived this Texas team has—Washington has Texas football right where they want them.
Washington-Texas Sugar Bowl is a rematch from last year's Alamo Bowl
Though the teams are drastically different from year-to-year, most have forgotten that Washington has already beaten Texas recently, and right in the Longhorns' backyard.
Last year's Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX, featured the Huskies and Longhorns. The Huskies, doing what we've seen them do time and time again this season and last, outlasted Texas 27-20 to win their first bowl game in two seasons. Now, whether you call that an advantage or not, it can't be denied what we've seen currently from Washington and DeBoer when they play against familiar opponents. That, along with their underdog mentality, gives Washington football an edge.
Even though I technically picked Texas to beat Washington in my New Year's Six bowl game predictions, I'm not totally sold on that. Washington consistently defies expectations, largely attributed to DeBoer's expertise in assembling an impressive roster and maintaining an unbeaten 9-0 record against ranked opponents. Moreover, considering that this marks Washington's third game of the season as the underdog, it might paradoxically tip the odds in their favor.
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