Saturday Blitz
Fansided

The fatal flaw with every College Football Playoff Top 10 team after first rankings

By Josh Yourish

Oct 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
Oct 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 10
Next
Oct 14, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) hands the ball off to running back Dillon Johnson (7) during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) hands the ball off to running back Dillon Johnson (7) during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5 Washington – The run game

It’s easy to just say the defense, but the way this Washington team and the rest of the Pac-12 is built, I’m actually more worried about the Huskies scoring too quickly than their ability to get a stop. That’s because they’re not likely to get a stop against Oregon or USC, but really who is?

We saw this exact thing play out against Oregon, Michael Penix Jr. threw a touchdown to Rome Odunze to take a 36-33 lead with 1:38 left, and it was too fast. Oregon moved the ball right down the field but missed the tying field goal.

Washington is 99th in total defense and 46th in yards per play allowed. The Huskies play in a conference with plenty of high-powered offenses and Kalen Deboer has built this team to outscore his opponents. That defense is good enough when your offense ranks fifth overall and second in yards per play at 8.0.

Michael Penix Jr.’s passing game is first in the country averaging 399.0 yards per game and Penix is averaging 10.0 yards per attempt. That’s essentially a first down every drop back, but the Huskies aren’t very balanced. They rank 119th in rushing offense, 132nd in rushing attempts, and 68th in yards per rush.

This team can build a lead on anyone, but the question is, can they protect it? Defense is one way to do that, but my bigger worry is if they can sustain drives on offense to close games out. With Georgia beating Ohio State 42-41 and TCU beating Michigan 51-45 in last year’s playoff, we learned that even the best defenses in the country are no match for the best offensive attacks.

Home/College Football Playoff