Can Washington Huskies make the leap to playoff hopefuls? Not so fast. (Mike Vorel)

University of Washington head coach Jedd Fisch watches practice on April 22 in Seattle. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times)

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By Mike Vorel Seattle Times columnist

“This year’s Indiana in the Big Ten is Washington.”

That’s according to Joel Klatt, FOX’s college football analyst, who said so this week on his podcast. Indiana, of course, ascended from Big Ten punching bag to College Football Playoff crasher in 2024 — winning its first 10 games in an outwardly stunning 11-2 season.

So, is UW set for a similar skyrocket in Jedd Fisch’s sequel in Seattle?

It’d be easy to don my homer hat and blindly board the bandwagon.

But, for two specific reasons, I’m still unconvinced.

First, let’s lay out Klatt’s argument, which comprises three primary points that I don’t disagree with:

1. Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston might form the Big Ten’s best quarterback-running back-wide receiver trio. Williams — who completed 78.1% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and a single interception in 13 games (two starts) as a true freshman — is perhaps the country’s most electric quarterback, and should only improve in his second season. Coleman (1,053 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns in 2024) and Boston (63 catches, 834 receiving yards, 9 TD) should be even better as well.

2. The addition of Ryan Walters will instantly elevate UW’s defense. Walters, who was fired after two subpar seasons as the head coach at Purdue, has a résumé to match his reputation. In just his second season as defensive coordinator, Illinois finished first in the nation in scoring defense (12.8 points allowed per game) in 2022. Now, the 39-year-old Walters — who replaced Steve Belichick as UW’s defensive coordinator — must upgrade a unit that excelled against the pass but struggled to stuff the run last fall.

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3. UW plays three of its four most difficult matchups at home, where it’s won 20 consecutive games dating to 2021. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Oregon and No. 12 Illinois will all be tasked with winning on Montlake, while Washington gets eight days off prior to an October matchup at No. 14 Michigan. While a robust Big Ten doesn’t allow for easy schedules, the Huskies’ home-field advantage makes it more manageable.

“So the more I looked at Washington, the more I thought to myself, ‘Hold on a second. If they get any momentum whatsoever, if they protect their quarterback whatsoever, if they protect their home field, this is a team that could absolutely, absolutely be 9-2 hosting Oregon the last week of the season,’” Klatt concluded. “If they’re in that boat, they could absolutely claim that if they win that game they would go to the College Football Playoff.

“This is a team I’m bullish on. I think it’s a schedule, it’s a roster, it’s a continuity that is right. They’ve got the right games in the right locations.”

Amid all that optimism, there’s a monumental if.

If they protect their quarterback whatsoever …

Washington failed to protect its quarterback in 2024, surrendering 3.0 sacks per game (117th in the nation). That included 15 combined sacks in road losses to a pair of top-10 teams, Oregon and Penn State, exposing a gulf between the Huskies and the Big Ten’s best. They also managed just 3.62 yards per carry in conference play, unable to create push with a patchwork offensive line.

That weakness, of course, is easily explained — as a transfer exodus (and departing draftees) left little returning talent on the offensive line.

But, a year later, the same questions simmer. The Huskies have taken significant steps to improve up front, adding two high-profile transfers (Carver Willis and Geirean Hatchett) and four true freshmen.

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Still, I’m not convinced Willis — who never earned more than All-Big-12 honorable mention status in five seasons at Kansas State — will dominate in a more physical conference, at a new position (left tackle). I’m not convinced right tackle Drew Azzopardi, one of college football’s least effective tackles according to Pro Football Focus in 2024, will suddenly and significantly improve. I’m not convinced Hatchett, who started just four games in his first four seasons in Seattle, will return as a standout starter. I’m not convinced the tug-of-war at left guard between true freshman John Mills and redshirt freshman Paki Finau won’t yield inexperienced mistakes.

I’m not convinced Michael Switzer, who has never been an FBS offensive line coach, will instantly elevate those question marks into exclamation points.

Does all of the above sound like a surefire solution?

Don’t get me wrong: I believe the offensive line will be better. But College Football Playoff better? Big Ten dark horse better? This year’s Indiana better? That’s something I have to see to believe.

I also need to see Washington win on the road, after going 0-7 away from Husky Stadium in 2024.

In an interview this week on KJR 93.3 FM, Fisch acknowledged last season’s obstacles included “understanding what travel will feel like when you’re not getting on an hour-and-45-minute to two-hour flight, but rather a five-hour flight with a three-hour time difference. When you’re leaving your home state at noon and arriving at your visiting state at 8 p.m. Those (things) are all different.

“So we had to get our team to understand how to hydrate and [get] nutrition on the airplane. We had to get our team to understand sleep. We had to get our team bigger. We had to get our team heavier, stronger, faster, more mature. So all of those things we’ve worked on.”

I don’t doubt they did.

Starting Aug. 30, that work should lead to wins. I expect Williams, Coleman and Boston to dazzle for UW. I expect Walters’ defense to incrementally improve. I expect Husky Stadium to rain decibels on overwhelmed opponents.

If I had to guess? I expect eight or so wins, meaningful progress.

Which, no, wouldn’t make Washington this year’s Indiana.

That type of mountaintop might still be a year away.

Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes .com. Mike Vorel is a sports columnist at The Seattle Times.