UW Huskies come in at 10 in AP preseason top-25 poll
Aug 14, 2023, 11:56 AM
Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan of the UW Huskies celebrate a touchdown in 2021. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The UW Huskies were a massive surprise team in 2022, going 11-2 under first-year head coach after a 4-8 2021 campaign. They’ve got much more of a spotlight on them entering 2023, though.
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In the Associated Press’ preseason top-25 poll, the UW Huskies came in at No. 10 overall. The Huskies were No. 11 in the preseason coaches poll.
The Huskies ended last season at No. 8. The program did not begin last year ranked, but did in 2021 before falling to FCS Montana in the opener and ultimately winning just four games while also firing then-head coach Jimmy Lake mid-season.
Under DeBoer, the Huskies had the nation’s top passing attack in 2022, led by star quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who returns to Montlake along with two 1,000-yard receivers in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.
The UW Huskies face a tougher schedule in 2023 than 2022 by a considerable margin. They play both USC and Utah this season after not playing those two last year. The Huskies also host Boise State, which went 10-4 last year, and travel to Michigan State in two of UW’s three non-conference games.
The Huskies are the second-highest-ranked Pac-12 school behind USC (6). UW is one of five Pac-12 schools in the top 25 along with USC, Utah (14), Oregon (15) and Oregon State (18).
The SEC leads the way with six top-25 teams, followed by the Pac-12 and Big Ten with five each.
As expected, Georgia checked in at No. 1 overall, earning 60 of 63 first-place votes. The Bulldogs have won each of the last two National Championships under head coach Kirby Smart.
Michigan and Ohio State – both of which made the College Football Playoff last year – are No. 2 and 3, respectively. Michigan earned two first-place votes while Ohio State got one.
TCU, which lost the National Championship game to Georgia, starts the year at No. 7, just above Oregon State.
AP Top-25
1: Georgia (60)
2: Michigan (2)
3: Ohio State (1)
4: Alabama
5: LSU
6: USC
7: Penn State
8: Florida State
9: Clemson
10: Washington
11: Texas
12: Tennessee
13: Notre Dame
14: Utah
15: Oregon
16: Kansas State
17: TCU
18: Oregon State
19: Wisconsin
20: Oklahoma
21: North Carolina
22: Ole Miss
23: Texas A&M
24: Tulane
25: Iowa
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