Washington Football: 5 reasons Huskies will win 2017 national title

2. Washington enjoys a clear path to 13-0 and Pac-12 title

Last year the Huskies were left sweating the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final decision after winning the Pac-12 championship. That is because they lost a regular-season game at home 26-13 to USC. Combined with a weak schedule out of conference, Washington was fighting against other Power Five teams that had played tougher calendars.

This year, the Huskies once again play an underwhelming non-conference slate. They play a return game at Rutgers, then take on FCS Montana and Fresno State at home before Pac-12 action begins. The question isn’t whether Washington will be 3-0 at the end of the run, but how few points they will give up to the trio of opponents.

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In conference play, the Huskies avoid the only team that managed to beat them in the regular season. Washington will only play USC if the two meet in the Pac-12 championship game. As a result, it should be much easier for the Huskies to get through their schedule unscathed.

They also get to play UCLA and Utah at home in interdivisional play, and the Apple Cup will be in Seattle this year. Washington does have to go to Boulder to take on Colorado and the Bay Area to play Stanford. But they beat the pair by a combined scoreline of 85-16 last season, and the Cardinal and Buffaloes both lost their best offensive weapons. An undefeated Pac-12 champ will get into the playoff, and that champ will be Washington.