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No. 9 Washington remains on Prove It List

Anthony Gimino

September 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm.

Sep 17, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) fakes a hand off to running back Myles Gaskin (9) against the Portland State Vikings during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 41-3. Photo Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 17, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) fakes a hand off to running back Myles Gaskin (9) against the Portland State Vikings during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 41-3. Photo Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers. Idaho. Portland State.

That is, in order, one of the worst teams in the FBS, a woebegone program that will be leaving the FBS to drop down a level after the 2017 season, and an actual team already on that FCS level.

That also was Washington’s non-conference schedule.

There is no team that poll voters have bought into more than the Huskies, who are ninth in the AP and coaches polls. This was a team that was 7-6 last season and hasn’t played anybody this season.

Washington’s current ranking is silly high, but that’s not to say the Huskies won’t be legit. For now, they just need to be put on the “prove-it” list. They shouldn’t be ranked ahead of 3-0 Wisconsin (beat LSU) or 3-0 Texas A&M (beat UCLA and Auburn), to name a couple.

“We have been staring at this schedule for a long time, going, ‘OK, we have our first three games, which have their own unique challenges, but then we start our league in a tough way,'” Washington coach Chris Petersen said.

“To go to Arizona in a night game to open the league, that is going to be a challenge. Then we go home in a short week against Stanford, then go to Eugene. We will find out, we will find out quickly what we have.”

Petersen, as coaches sometimes do, seems to be overselling the difficulty of opening at Arizona, which needed to rally to beat Grambling State two weeks ago, gave up three long touchdown drives to Hawaii in the second half on Saturday and might be without its starting quarterback (Anu Solomon) and running back (Nick Wilson) due to injury.

The faith in Washington is directly traced to Petersen, in his third season in Seattle after his successful stint at Boise State. He has one of the nation’s best young backfields in quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin — both true sophomores. And the bulk of the Pac-12’s top-rated defense returns from last season, led by safety Budda Baker.

Browning leads the nation in passing efficiency (206.9 rating), but that has to be taken with the usual caveats, given the competition.

“A 3-0 start, that is what we wanted,” Browning said. “We have been able to get a lot of people in to play and all that. But here comes Pac-12 and we all know that every Pac-12 game is a big game and anybody can beat anybody.”

Fair enough. Washington certainly doesn’t want to overlook Arizona. The Huskies haven’t won in Tucson since 2006, losing their past four games there.

Washington has the goods, but the final step to the top pedestal is often the toughest part of rebuilding. The Huskies get Stanford at home on Friday, Sept. 30 and play at Oregon on Oct. 8. Trends will have to change. Washington has lost nine of its past 11 games to the Cardinal, and has dropped 12 in a row to the Ducks.

Are the Huskies all grown up, ready to turn faith into fact?

“The time is now,” Petersen said.

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