The Washington Huskies are a team that could be poised for a breakout season. The Huskies aren't receiving a lot of attention in the national media, but make no mistake: this team is going to very good. All the pieces are in place to make some serious noise.
The Indiana Hoosiers will make their longest road trip of the season on November 21 to battle the Huskies in Seattle. The matchup is still several months away and will be near the end of the regular season. However, this is a game that Hoosier fans should have circled on their calendars.
Year 3 of the Jedd Fisch era begins
Head coach Jedd Fisch is heading into his third season at Washington, and he is building the program backup after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama following the 2023 National Championship Game. Fisch won six games in his first season and then raised that total to nine last season. He won 10 games at Arizona in his last season in Tuscon, and is now searching for a double-digit win campaign in Year 3 at Washington. All the pieces are in place to do so.
Demond Williams Jr. is a legitimate Heisman contender
Husky QB Demond Williams Jr. could be on the verge of a monster campaign. Last year as a sophomore, Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 611 yards and six touchdowns. His efforts helped the Huskies average 410 total yards and 34 points per game. Now a rising junior, Williams is looking to post even bigger numbers this season.
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Williams actually tested the portal waters in the offseason, and there were rumblings of an LSU landing spot. However, Williams is now back in Seatte for his third season with Washington, which gives the Huskies a high ceiling in the upcoming season. He can do a little bit of everything, and can hurt opposing defenses in a variety of ways. The Hoosiers have to be prepared.
The rushing attack has a lot of production to replace
The Huskies are down two of their top-three rushers from last season. Leading rusher Jonah Coleman (758 yards) is off to the NFL, and Adam Mohammed (523 yards) transferred to Cal. Jayden Limar comes in from rival Oregon, but he has never been a No. 1 RB. Trey Cooley also transferred in from Troy, but he missed all of last season with an injury and is now on his fourth college team in six years. Thus, it will be interesting to see what the Husky rushing attack looks like when this matchup rolls around in late November.
The defensive front will be a problem
The Huskies took a big step forward from Year 1 to Year 2 of the Fisch era on the defensive side of the ball. Washington ranked 21st in the country in total defense last season, and plenty of production returns for the 2026 season. Most notably, leading tackler S Alex McLaughlin and second-leader tackler LB Xe'ree Alexander are both back.
The rushing defense was especially stout last year. On the season, the Huskies ranked 3rd in the Big Ten by allowing just 100.1 rushing yards per game to their opponents. In 13 games, they held nine opponents to 110 rushing yards or less. That will always keep you in games. With so many returners on the front-7, the Washington run defense should be strong again in 2026.
Indiana vs Washington score prediction
Indiana: 38
Washington: 30
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