The Washington Huskies have a new coach this season, and with it, they hope a new change of direction that will help the program to become as good as it was over 20 years ago.
Washington Huskies @ Hawaii Warriors
Saturday, August 30th – 10:35 PM ET
Odds: Washington -17
Why Washington Can Cover The Spread
They have the right coach, or at least, the person they think is the right coach. It did not surprise or displease Husky fans when Steve Sarkisian, the previous head coach at the school, opted out and tried to get the USC job. Husky fans were growing tired of a coach who usually won seven games per season and failed to overtake Oregon and Stanford in the Pac-12 North Division. When Sarkisian went to USC, the Huskies actually felt they had an opportunity to get a better coach, and they appear to have done so by getting Chris Petersen from Boise State, where he built a mini-dynasty on the blue turf of Idaho.
Petersen led the small school from Boise to a pair of Fiesta Bowl victories and a few other seasons in which the Broncos came very close to playing in a major bowl game, for a national championship, or both. Just a few bounces, and basically a failure to make field goals in pressure moments, prevented Petersen from doing even more during his career at Boise State. Petersen has told the media that Washington was one of the very few jobs he really considered leaving Boise State for. The Huskies might have the man who can lead them past Oregon and Stanford, though probably not in one year. Washington is going to need some time to build back the full program, but against Hawaii, a team Petersen scouted often with Boise State when it was in the old Western Athletic Conference with the Warriors, the Huskies should be fully prepared.
Why Hawaii Can Cover The Spread
They were not as bad as their 1-11 record showed in 2013. That’s a very strange statement to make, but it’s true, and it might carry more weight than you first think. Hawaii was very competitive in a lot of its games, losing several by one possession and a few others by two possessions after playing with good energy and toughness for most of the first three quarters. Hawaii wasn’t a team that finished well last season. There is an art to learning how to win, and in some seasons, it just doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t come together on both sides of the line of scrimmage. However, if you fail one year, the small sample size of a season often means that if you continue to put yourself in a place where you can be down by just five or six points late in the fourth quarter, you might finally get that touchdown which didn’t happen the previous season or two. Hawaii is just a handful of plays from being able to win games it lost a year ago.
Outlook
If Washington is really disorganized, this game could be close in the fourth quarter. However, it’s Chris Petersen’s signature to not be disorganized, and to have his team properly taught on how to go about its business. Take the Huskies here.
Pick: Washington -17
