Washington jumped to No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Joel Klatt wondered if the Huskies are high enough.
The Pac-12 program improved to 11-0 with a 22-20 win at Oregon State. Klatt argued that everyone would be “singing the praises” of an SEC or Big Ten title contender that defeated a No. 11-ranked team on the road in rainy conditions.
While Klatt said Washington can be “a bit one-dimensional at times,” he’s impressed by the Huskies. The Fox broadcaster pointed to wins over Oregon State, Oregon, and Arizona to suggest that Washington has a better portfolio than two higher-ranked teams.
“That’s a hell of a resume, and you can make the argument it’s a better resume than Michigan,” Klatt said. “It’s a better resume than Georgia.”
“You can make the argument it’s a better resume than Michigan, it’s a better resume than Georgia.”@JoelKlatt gives high praises to Washington after entering the CFP Top 4 ⬇️
Listen here: https://t.co/eWiYyhZk6o pic.twitter.com/yLGdgXidwN
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) November 22, 2023
Klatt noted that Washington has the nation’s No. 1 strength of record and the toughest strength of schedule of the top CFP contenders.
“They not only have excellent wins, including a team in Oregon that everybody believes is a top-six or seven team, but they also have played — in terms of its width and depth — a better and tougher schedule than anyone in the top six,” Klatt said. “So you can make a strong argument that Washington, even at four, is underrated.”
Washington leads the nation in passing offense behind Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr. The Huskies are averaging 39.3 points per game and handed the Ducks their only loss of the season.
Yet No. 4 is as high as Washington has been ranked by the AP Top 25 or CFP committee. Defeating Washington State on Saturday probably won’t bring anybody around to Klatt’s thinking, but a potential rematch with Oregon for the Pac-12 title would give Washington a chance to bolster its Playoff case.