Washington Football: 5 reasons Huskies will win 2017 national title

1. Chris Petersen is a master tactician who cannot be discounted

Once they get into the College Football Playoff, the Huskies aren’t going to falter a second time around. Chris Petersen has been one of the most brilliant coaches in the game for the past decade. He led Boise State to two Fiesta Bowl victories in the BCS era, and looked like he might remain at the school forever.

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Then Washington came calling, and Petersen finally jumped ship for a Power Five program. He inherited a team that had plateaued at seven or eight wins a season under Steve Sarkisian. That was admittedly an improvement from the smoldering crater left by the Tyrone Willingham era. But he also is great at hiring top coaches and engendering loyalty among his staff.

Look no further than Pete Kwiatkowski, the architect of Petersen’s top-shelf defenses with both the Broncos and Huskies. Kwiatkowski has quietly been one of the best defensive coordinators in the country over the past seven years. In five of the past seven seasons, he has put together a top-11 offense according to Football Outsiders Defensive S&P+ rating.

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The Huskies may have lost twice, but they also held USC to 26 points and Alabama to 24 points. Washington will learn and grow from those experiences. With another shot at winning the national title, a football genius like Peterson won’t fail a second time.