SEATTLE -- It took just three years for Washington coach Chris Petersen to reach his first Pac-12 Championship, and in the same season crossing the 10-win plateau for the eight time in his 11-year head coaching career.
No.5 Washington (11-1, 8-1) punched their ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game with a 45-17 route of No.23 Washington State, scoring 28 first-quarter points to quiet the Cougar faithful in Martin Stadium.
Saturday, the Huskies learned they'll face Pac-12 South champ Colorado following the No.9 Buffs 27-22 victory over No.21 Utah. Before the season the Huskies were the trendy off-season pick listed as a 3/1 favorite to win the Pac-12 Championship.
But talk of playoffs, bowl games or anything beyond the next opponent has been something Petersen hasn't let effect the team throughout the season.
"I think it's good, but we have a lot more ball to play," Petersen said after Friday's victory over WSU. "This thing is always about how you finish. I mean, that's one of the things we talk about every day with our kids. Just finishing everything - whether it's school or a weight workout or practice.
"The really good teams, the special teams, can finish."
Washington glided through a weak non-conference schedule to begin the season 3-0. The expectation before the season was for UW to go unbeaten out of conference, pass the first trap game test at Arizona in week 4, and then face the annual gauntlet of Stanford and Oregon back-to-back to prove whether or not the hype was legitimate.
Of the three opponents only Arizona kept the final score a one-possession difference, falling 35-28 in overtime on a 4-yard touchdown from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis. The Huskies turned their less than impressive win over the Wildcats into a reminder to not overlook any opponent again.
The result: Washington made its first appearance on the national college football scene with a resounding 44-6 victory over then-No.7 Stanford at Husky Stadium. Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey extended his streak of true road games without a rushing or receiving touchdown to 13-straight games.
It was a signature win for Petersen at Washington being his 20th in just his 32nd game as head coach. But more importantly remained the 12-year winless streak against Oregon, a subject first approached on December 9, 2013 during his introductory press conference.
"Do we have to start that already?," Petersen replied, when asked if he would be the first UW coach since Keith Gilbertson in 2003 to defeat the Ducks, a 42-10 win at home in his first season as head coach.
His first two attempts, a 25-point loss in 2014 followed up by a 6-point defeat with freshman starting quarterback Jake Browning on the sidelines for the final drive in 2015, showed the talent gap was closing and closing quickly as head coach Mark Helfrich struggled to uphold the recruiting success that began under Chip Kelly.
Uncertainty at quarterback didn't help the Ducks either. Sending freshman quarterback Justin Herbert out to start his first career start, albeit at home, signaled the end before the game kicked off as the Huskies spent 32 minutes unleashing a decade-plus of hate and frustration, dismantling Oregon 70-21.
In two weeks UW outscored two of the premier programs in the conference over the past five years 114 to 27. From then on the Huskies continued their unbeaten march toward a Pac-12 Championship while still being knocked for their easy non-conference schedule.
"I think if you studied them I would say no," Pac-12 Network Analyst Yogi Roth said in an interview with TDR following the Oregon victory, when asked if the Huskies were still viewed as a pretender compared to other undefeated teams at the time.
"They play with a violence on defense and a discipline that’s really unique. On offense they play with a style that attacks you in every phase imaginable. Not just in run and pass, but off the screen game [like] the old West Coast offense."
Washington rattled off nine straight wins in 2016, to combine with three straight to end the 2015 season before losing 26-13 to USC at home on November 12.
At the time the Huskies' 12-game win streak was the second longest active in the FBS, behind only the Alabama Crimson Tide who have since stretched their unbeaten run to 24 consecutive games attempting to repeat as National Champions, having been the last to do so in 2011 and 2012.
Since the loss to Southern Cal the Huskies have begun the climb back up the playoff ladder with victories vs Arizona State (44-18) and this past Friday at No.23 Washington State (45-17), their third win against a Top 25 opponent this season with the fourth waiting for them come Friday at Levi Stadium with a chance at the first CFB Playoff berth for Washington.
Colorado, who entered this season tied with Oregon State for the lowest odds at 100/1 to win the Pac-12 Championship, are expected to remain in the top 10 at the very least with Michigan as the only team in the Top 10 to lose this weekend. But the Pac-12 South champs weren't viewed as a potential 10-win team that they've turned out to be.
"Serious run this year? No," said CBS Sports College Football Columnist Dennis Dodd in an interview with TDR in October of the legitimacy of Colorado's success early in 2016. "In both cases [Mike] MacIntyre will have get some defenders in there. There is [also] a great story with his defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt."
Hired in February 2015, the former San Francisco 49ers assistant and long-time head coach at South Florida has turned a barren defense that ranked T-119th in 2014 with North Carolina in scoring defense allowing 39 points per game.
Preparing to slow down the Washington offense is no small task for Levitt, with the Huskies boasting a 44.8 points per game average, tied for third in the country with Western Michigan and placing just behind Louisville and Oklahoma with the first and second best PPG total respectively.
Colorado ranks 13th in scoring defense allowing just 18.5 points per game, second best in the Pac-12 behind, yes, Washington. The Huskies are the only team in the conference who have allowed no more than 28 points in a single game while scoring less than 30 points per game just once against USC.
Kickoff for the Pac-12 Championship Game is set for 6 p.m. and airing on FOX. Washington and Colorado will have media availability Monday and Tuesday before obligations precluding both programs from media availability from Wednesday until kickoff Friday.
