2. Holiday Bowl (Qualcomm Stadium/San Diego, Calif. vs. Big Ten)
Another potential destination for Chris Petersen’s team is a trip to sunny southern California for another of college football’s classic bowl games. With the elimination of the Poinsettia Bowl, Qualcomm Stadium will put all its focus on the Holiday Bowl this season. That means whoever makes it to San Diego will be feted in one of the best non-New Year’s Six games of the 2017 postseason.
Washington last played in the Holiday Bowl in 2010, when they took down Nebraska 19-7 in a defensive battle. It was the first win in four tries at the Holiday Bowl for the Huskies. They lost their first trip to San Diego back in 1996 against Colorado, then fell to Kansas State in 1999 and Texas in 2001. If they get the invitation to Qualcomm, the Huskies will look to build upon that inaugural win.
Back then the game pitted the Pac-10 against the Big 12. But with the shift to a Pac-12/Big Ten matchup the Huskies would get the chance to recreate the annual Rose Bowl contest 125 miles south of Pasadena. An opponent like Michigan, Michigan State, or Northwestern could be waiting in the wings. No matter who Washington might face, they would come to San Diego as a favorite against a Big Ten opponent.