Washington Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

Washington’s reward for finishing the regular season 12-0 will be a date with Pac-12 South champion USC. The Trojans will finally play in their first Pac-12 championship game since the league’s expansion, having recovered from years of sanctions stemming from the Reggie Bush case and the Pete Carroll era.

They were the only Pac-12 team to knock off Washington in 2016. Sam Darnold outplayed Jake Browning, throwing for 287 yards and two scores. Both quarterbacks threw two interceptions, canceling one another out. Ronald Jones II rushed for nearly 100 yards and scored a touchdown in the 26-13 win over UW in Seattle.

USC went on to finish 9-3 in the regular season. After Colorado fell big against Washington in the Pac-12 championship last year, the Trojans were selected to represent the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl. There they won a thrilling comeback against Penn State to get to 10 wins, and cemented their place as a preseason favorite to take the league crown from the Huskies.

Prediction: Washington 52, USC 48 (13-0)

This is going to be another one of those high-scoring games where it comes down to which team has the ball last. USC and Washington could very well be playing for a College Football Playoff berth in this contest. Darnold will have a big game against the rebuilt Huskies secondary, but Browning will be just as prolific against USC’s defensive backfield. Petersen will play the clock more smartly than Clay Helton, and the Huskies will repeat as Pac-12 champs.