Washington Football: 5 reasons Huskies will repeat as Pac-12 champs in 2017

Washington football has the tools to repeat as the Pac-12 champ and here are five reasons why the Huskies will win the conference crown in 2017.

When Chris Petersen took over the Washington football program, the Huskies were searching for answers. Steve Sarkisian had put the program back on the map, but had just left for the head coaching job at USC.

How would the Huskies retain success? Well, Petersen has done an excellent job of recruiting and his players have bought into the system. Moreover, Washington has the pieces in place to compete at a high level. In fact, the Huskies took the conference title in 2016. Can they repeat?

Here are the five seasons why Washington will repeat in 2017.

5. Jake Browning

Jake Browning returns at quarterback. Traditionally, when Washington has a returning starter under center, the team does reasonably well. Keith Price and Jake Locker are recent examples. The Huskies went 9-4 during Price’s senior season and 7-6 during Locker’s senior year.

Browning earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year for his 2016 season. He will face stiffer competition for the title this season with Josh Rosen returning from injury and Sam Darnold coming off a breakout season. Additionally, Browning lost his top receiver in John Ross (more on that later) but still has plenty of talent surrounding him.

In 2016, Browning threw 43 touchdowns, tied for the Pac 12 record. He also set a school record for most touchdown passes in a single game (six). Browning threw eight touchdowns of 50 yards or more, another school record.

Having one of the conference’s best quarterbacks makes Washington one of the best teams in the conference.