Here's Most Pivotal UW Football Game On The Schedule

Here's Most Pivotal UW Football Game On The Schedule

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Here's Most Pivotal UW Football Game On The Schedule
Husky tight end Jack Westover is tackled by USC linebacker Mason Cobb (13) in the 2023 game in Los Angeles.
Husky tight end Jack Westover is tackled by USC linebacker Mason Cobb (13) in the 2023 game in Los Angeles. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The pivot game.

It seems there is full agreement as to which outing on the schedule will determine the season the University of Washington football team puts together this fall — whether it's good or great.

USC.

It is always USC.

It's USC or bust.

Beat the Trojans, especially in Los Angeles, and positive stuff generally happens to the Huskies in the greater scheme of things.

In 1991, Don James' ground-breaking UW football team took a 14-3 victory over USC in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the way to a 12-0 season and a national championship.

In 2023, the Huskies won a highly entertaining 52-42 game over the Trojans in the ballyard just off Figueroa Street, with quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams in a duel, and they went on to finish 14-1 and become the national runner-up.

Will anyone ever forget the Penix mad scramble and back-of-the-end-zone pass to tight end Devin Culp?

If this coming season is to be anything other than a nice, second-tier bowl game somewhere, Jedd Fisch's team has to beat USC on October 3, five games into the schedule.

A win over Lincoln Riley's team would set up the Huskies to go 10-0 to begin the season and create all sorts of Montlake mayhem.

With high-end players in the lineup such as offensive guard John Mills, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and linebacker Jacob Manu, the UW should be fully capable of turning things up a notch after dealing with 6-7 and 9-4 seasons in the first two years of Fisch.

While USC holds a healthy 52-31-4 series advantage, the Huskies haven't lost to the Men of Troy for a full decade.

In that time, the UW has captured all three meetings — 26-21 in Seattle in 2024, 52-42 in LA in 2023 and 28-14 at Husky Stadium in 2019 — and four of the previous five outings.

A year ago, Ohio State and Michigan were the pivotal games on the Husky schedule, especially the Buckeyes, and Fisch's guys lost each time and their eventual reward was the LA Bowl that no longer exists.

Beat the Trojans, and everyone suddenly will begin clamoring for Riley's coaching head once more.

He's supposed to own the West, but Oregon and Washington won't let him.

Beat the Trojans, and the Huskies should have every opportunity to run the table and go unbeaten before heading into difficult closing games against defending national champion Indiana at home and rival Oregon on the road.

If it's a close game in LA, envision former Trojans place-kicker Tyler Robles coming out for the UW and lining up a last-second field goal for the win.

If it's a defensive slugfest, look for former USC linebackers coach Brian Odom, whose job turned shaky after the UW scored 52 on him, to have his Husky linebackers at their optimum best at the Coliseum.

And, if you want real storyline intrigue that day, make Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava limp off the field to deal with something painful while former Husky quarterback Sam Huard trots in to replace him.

No matter how it plays out, or who's involved, the UW needs to win this one to have a truly remarkable season.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/washington as Here's Most Pivotal UW Football Game On The Schedule.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos