ROCK BOX SPORTS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAY OF THE DAY

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

ROCK BOX SPORTS - COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAY OF THE DAY

Saturday September 12, 2009

3 STARS: WASHINGTON -20.5

For a team with a fifteen game losing streak, the Huskies looked pretty good last week, hanging tough with big bad LSU as the Rock Box predicted.  Not only did we cash in on Washington in the opener, but we found plenty to like moving forward. This is a team that vastly underachieved last season, packing it in after the loss of stellar QB Jake Locker and the imminent dismissal of Ty Willingham.

It remains to be seen how the Steve Sarkisian era will pan out in the long run, but its apparent that for the moment the young new coach has given the program a serious injection of positive energy. It may be true that the Huskies went 0-12 last season, but they played the last ten of those games without Locker and faced a brutal schedule with BYU, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame on the non-conference schedule.

One of the reasons why Washington has such a long losing streak is that they haven’t faced a true cupcake in roughly three seasons. Enter WAC bottom feeder Idaho. The Vandals are completely over matched here against a Washington team that not only won’t overlook them, but in fact will relish the opportunity to lay the wood. Sarkisian will jump all over this opportunity to end the losing streak in a big way. It’s not enough for the new coach and his squad to win this game, they need to win big in order to make a statement and build confidence moving forward. 

This is perfect storm-type situation when it comes to laying points- a vastly more talented team giving its undivided attention to a lesser one and taking the field with every intention of running up the score.  Washington takes out two years worth of frustration on an Idaho team that finds itself in the wrong place at the wrong time.   

1 STAR: TROY +36.5; NOTRE DAME -3; OHIO U. -2.5; GEORGIA/SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER 39

(rockboxsports.com)

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?