Washington Football: 3 takeaways from shocking loss at Stanford

1. Washington needs to refocus its goals

Prior to the Week 6 loss against Stanford, Washington still harbored longshot goals of playing their way into the College Football Playoff as a 12-1 repeat champion of the Pac-12. That dream collapsed on the Farm in Pac-12 After Dark chaos, and now the Huskies must refocus their efforts on what they can actually control.

Washington is now 1-2 in Pac-12 play after losing to both Bay Area schools. They cannot afford another defeat, and that will require intense focus on each opponent as they come.

Next week’s road trip to Tucson will be no picnic, as Arizona always tends to pull out an improbable result or two at home each season. With everyone gunning to take down the defending champs, Washington cannot let down their guard. If they get caught thinking ahead to their October 19 rivalry game against Oregon, the Huskies could collapse in the desert.

That Ducks game is a must-win for any shot at getting back in the Pac-12 North race, and Oregon is confident after surviving a defensive struggle against a Cal team that unseated the Huskies. A home date against Utah is a major threat, and the Apple Cup will be a heated affair as usual.

Chris Petersen and his staff need to find ways to set their team up for success in all phases of the game, week after week, and everyone on the roster must buy into the program. Anything less is going to cause things to quickly torpedo for Washington.