Washington Football: 5 reasons Huskies will beat Utah for Pac-12 title

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 15: Myles Gaskin #9 of the Washington Huskies tries to avoid the tackle by Chase Hansen #22 of the Utah Utes in the first half at Rice-Eccles Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

5. Jake Browning is back in vintage form after his romp in the snow

Two years ago, Jake Browning looked like a Heisman contender as he threw for 43 touchdowns against only nine interceptions as he helped lead the Huskies to the College Football Playoff. Since losing to Alabama that year, however, Browning has struggled to regain that form.

Part of that was losing speedster John Ross as his favorite target. Another part was simple regression back to the mean. But it was a big reason why Washington was unable to defend their Pac-12 crown in 2017.

In a key Apple Cup showdown last week, however, Browning showed why he is still among the best quarterbacks in the country. Outdueling Gardner Minshew, Browning completed 11 of his 14 passes in the snow for 207 yards. He did throw a pick, but otherwise carved up the Cougars.

Browning has come up big in his biggest Pac-12 tests each year, and this will be no exception. He will be playing at a level that shows once again why he was spoken of as a Heisman hopeful entering last season.

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