Washington Football vs Rutgers: Preview, predictions, TV channel

Washington football will open its 2017 season on Friday evening against Rutgers in a Pac-12 vs. Big Ten duel.

In a meeting of two teams with polar opposite expectations, the Washington Huskies and Rutgers Scarlet Knights will conclude the backend of their home-and-home series this year in New Jersey.

The Huskies are coming off their first ever College Football Playoff berth, while the Scarlet Knights are lightyears away from that mark. Rutgers is coming off an abysmal season, securing just two wins- none in the Big Ten.

Last season, Washington and Rutgers met for the first time ever, with the Huskies cruising to a 48-13 victory out west. Washington ended up receiving some scrutiny from the media down the stretch, being criticized for their soft schedule and the fact their only non-conference game was against one of the Power Five bottom dwellers.

This year, the Huskies begin the season ranked No. 8 nationally and will have another weak schedule in the non-conference portion. Many people did not expect Washington to get to the national prominence when they did and perhaps the soft schedule is an indication of where the athletic program forecasted they would be at. Nonetheless, Washington will have a dark cloud hanging over them if it comes down to a strength of schedule discussion.

Rutgers has not beaten a Power Five conference team since October of 2015 when they beat Indiana and will likely struggle again in the tough Big Ten this year. Battling Washington at home will provide a solid indication of what is to come for the rest of the year, especially competing in the Big Ten East- which bodes three top ten teams entering 2017.

Here’s how you can watch Friday’s Washington football game vs Rutgers:

Date: Friday, Sept. 1
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Piscataway, N.J.
Venue: High Point Solutions Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Keys to the Game

Rutgers saw a lot of these players a year ago in the season opener, including Huskies’ quarterback Jake Browning- who was sort of a question mark heading into the year. Turns out Browning is extremely talented and is only going to get better during his career at Washington.

Last year, Browning threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns against the Scarlet Knights, but had star receiver John Ross leading the way- who is now in the NFL. Fortunately for Browning, his second and third wide receiver from a year ago are returning, giving him multiple options in the passing game.

Rutgers’ key to the game is simple: Slow down Browning. If you take a look at the games Washington struggle in last year, it was because Browning was being pressured and his lack of experience tested. The Scarlet Knights need to mix and match on defense and throw the kitchen sink at Browning in order to get him off his game. If he gets comfortable, it’ll be a long knight for Rutgers.

Washington on the other hand will need to lock in defensively. While they should not have a problem stopping Rutgers, it is important for them to get an early boost of confidence, not only for the game but for the rest of the season. Browning and running back Myles Gaskin will get theirs, but how will the defense complement them?

Prediction

Washington’s offense will be too much for Rutgers and despite opening the season on the road, Browning and company get the job done fairly easily. There will be no first game jitters or anything like that. The Huskies know they deserve the preseason rank they are given and will come out proving to the world they are ready to make another College Football Playoff run.

Next: College Football Playoff preseason predictions

Washington will enter this game knowing they need style points to make up for their soft non-conference schedule, and that is just what they will do.

Final score: Washington 51, Rutgers 16

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