Three reasons Washington can beat Texas in CFP semis

For a second consecutive season, the Washington Huskies and Texas Longhorns will meet in the college football postseason. Only this time, a trip to the national championship is on the line.

Last year’s Valero Alamo Bowl provided plenty of offensive fireworks as the teams combined for 865 yards in a 27-20 Huskies win. With such high stakes this year, Monday’s Sugar Bowl matchup will likely be as entertaining, if not more.

Here are three reasons why Washington can beat Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

1. Michael Penix Jr.

Washington has the No. 1 passing offense in the country, and it’s led by Heisman finalist Penix Jr., who threw for 4,218 yards, 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had nine games of 300 or more yards passing and he threw three or more touchdowns in six of them.

Penix Jr.’s two worst games this season were against Oregon State and Arizona State. Both were one-score games, and both defenses did a good job of not letting the 6-foot-3 senior get too comfortable in the pocket and disrupting his timing. Texas ranks 34th in the country in sacks, and none of its edge-rushers or defensive lineman had more than 5.5 this season. 

If Penix Jr. has time to sit back in the pocket and dissect the Longhorns’ secondary, Washington could put up points in bunches.

2. A roster loaded with NFL talent

Washington has seven players on its roster in addition to Penix Jr. who could hear their names called during the 2024 NFL Draft in April, four of which could go in the first round.

Receiver Rome Odunze, who expected to be a top-15 pick, ranks third in the country in receiving yards (1,428), and he’s tied for sixth in touchdowns (13) and tied for 19th in receptions (81). His partner in crime Ja’Lynn Polk, who’s projected as a second-round pick, also had a 1,000-yard season and eight touchdowns to boot.

Edge-rusher Bralen Trice, who’s also expected to be a Round 1 selection, was one of the top pass-rushers in the country, logging 70 pressures, 49 hurries, 15 QB hits and five sacks. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu allowed just 19 pressures and two sacks this season, and he could be a mid-to-late first-rounder as well.

Beyond those five players, receiver Jalen McMillan, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and defensive end Zion Tupuola-Fetui are all expected to be drafted as well.

3. Washington is arguably the hottest team in college football

Dating back to last season, the Huskies are riding a 20-game win streak, and they’ve won 24 of their last 26 games. Over that span, they’ve scored 1,006 points and outscored opponents by 362 points.

The Huskies have five wins over ranked teams this year, including two over No. 8 Oregon. In those five games, UW averages 439.4 yards of total offense and 35.8 points per game.