Washington football projected among Big Ten's top teams in 2026

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The Washington Huskies are looking to take a big step forward in Jedd Fisch's third season at the helm, following a 9-4 2025 campaign when including a victory in the LA Bowl, and as the offseason rolls on, they're starting to pick up steam.

In Athlon Sports' annual college football preview, the Huskies are projected to finish as the No. 6 team in the Big Ten, which would be a solid enough improvement after placing No. 9 in the conference last year. In the projection from Steven Lassan, three of the team on UW's schedule finish ahead of them: Indiana at No. 2, Oregon at No. 3, and USC at No. 5.

That would suggest the Huskies showed a slight improvement on the season and improved to 9-3 in the regular season, but weren't able to overcome their biggest woe of 2025, winning big games against ranked teams.

"Quarterback Demond Williams’ breakout played a major role in Washington’s improvement last season and will be counted upon to elevate his game to another level against a schedule that includes road treks to Oregon, Nebraska and USC, along with Iowa, Indiana and Penn State coming to Seattle," Lassan wrote.

"Williams’ supporting cast has been retooled, with Oregon transfer Jayden Limar joining sophomore Jordan Washington and redshirt freshman Quaid Carr in the backfield to replace Jonah Coleman. Top receiver Denzel Boston will be missed, but sophomore Dezmen Roebuck is primed for a breakout year as the team’s No. 1 target, and tight end Decker DeGraaf is among the best in the Big Ten. Fisch and his staff hope true freshman Kodi Greene can star right away at left tackle, which would help solidify a group that allowed 34 sacks last season. Washington held Big Ten offenses to just 4.93 yards a snap in ‘25, but matching that total again won’t be easy with just four starters back."

While the Huskies are looking to young talents like Greene and wide receivers Jordan Clay and Trez Davis to answer questions on offense, Lassan's analysis of the defense may be misguided. Internally, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and the rest of the Huskies have high expectations for the unit, which will be led by one of the nation's best units of linebackers in Xe'ree Alexander, Jacob Manu, and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.

Combined with a talented secondary led by All-Big Ten honorable mention safety Alex McLaughlin and Virginia transfer cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, if the Huskies can get an improved pass rush from an almost completely overhauled defensive line, the defense could be the anchor for Fisch's team in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies projected among Big Ten's top teams in 2026

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