College Football SMQ: Which fallen blue blood program will win a championship next?

Washington made it into the College Football Playoff field as recently as two years ago. Like others we will look at today, their path to another national championship was cut short by Alabama. But while they fell short in that opportunity, the dormant blue blood in the Pacific Northwest could be the next of the former champions to end its championship drought.

The Huskies claim two national titles, in 1960 and 1991. In both cases, it was a share of the national title rather than an outright claim. Prior to that, Washington first rose to prominence prior to World War I under Gil Dobie. No school went undefeated over a longer stretch than the early 1900s crews that went 64 straight games without a loss.

The most recent title was shared in 1991 with Miami, raising an early discussion about creating a single national championship game to cap each I-A season. That team went 12-0 to win the Pac-10 championship and the Rose Bowl to give Don James the honor of bringing a national title to Seattle.

Petersen was one of the sport’s top coaches at Boise State for nearly a decade. Since heading west to Washington, he has helped resurrect the Huskies. They won the Pac-12 title two years ago, and the Huskies will be a Pac-12 North powerhouse as long as Petersen is in Seattle. Washington is back on the path to blue blood status thanks to the hire.