Is Washington Becoming the Next 'Cal' in the Conference?

[FishDuck Article]

What is the long-term direction of Huskies football?

 

Is Washington Becoming the Next "Cal" in the Conference?

FISHDUCK.COM

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We have enjoyed some incredibly humorous posts in the OBD forum concerning what Husky fans say about Oregon, and...

 

[Haywarduck]

While I agree the dawg coach is a good one, as I said before, it is hard to be the under dawg when your program still thinks it is elite. I would put the dawgs as a mix of sc, a bunch of pretentious buffoons, and Penn football, a once proud program who last great game was a loss to Oregon in the 1916 Rose Bowl.

 

Cal is exactly as you stated, a program which can beat anyone who isn't prepared, or plays them without a decent coach. The dawgs, on the other hand, are a preseason favorite, who can lose to Montana at home until they prove otherwise. Did I ever say I despise the dawgs?

[Duck 1972]

I just saw where they signed 8 players this past week. 2 - 4*, 6 - 3*. From their big weekends.

 

As of today we only have 1 a 3* out of D.C.. And aren't we in a dead period now.

 

Is going after the big fish and waiting better than going for players you know you can get right now? I don't know. Is there that big of a difference?

 

We have a lot of talented 3* on our team. It just seems to take a year longer for them to produce.

[Washington Waddler]

     To be a successful, technique-driven underdog depends to some degree on a fan base that sees themselves in that light, and supports that image since at least half the games will be played in front of them. 

 

     Being the little engine that could is embraced in Fresno, to a great degree in Berkley, and probably in Indianapolis. And, any FCS playing an FBS is always that.

 

     I’m not sure DeBoer will ever see that kind of support at the mistake on the lake where delusions of grandeur bloom eternal.

[shawnski]

For me it's all or nothing.

 

You're either contending and winning the Pac, or

 

you're the one loss on our record where we continually wonder "what happened"

 

I'm going with the latter

 

Huck the Fuskies 

[Charles Fischer]

On 6/27/2022 at 5:36 AM, Haywarduck said:

The dawgs, on the other hand, are a preseason favorite, who can lose to Montana at home until they prove otherwise.

I don't think that will happen under the new coach.  As DazeNconfused wrote in another thread...DeBoer has quite a confusing offense with all the sets, and will give opponents issues.

 

But can he recruit well enough to return the Huskies to the top of conference again?  THAT is the question...because if he cannot--they slide into becoming another "Cal."

[Drake]

The purple mutts fans always predict that their team is much better than the actual team that takes the field. The insults they toss at the Ducks are not going to change the outcome of their teams debacle of a season from last year.

 

I think that DeBoer is a solid coach. However, recruiting is still going to determine his teams long term success. Time will tell if he can recruit at the level necessary to be relevant in the PAC12. 
 

If DeBoer is unable to recruit at higher levels, then the pups definitely will be just like Cal. 

[30Duck]

UW probably won't be Cal because I feel like Cal, its coaches and fans are fine the way it is. Cal doesn't have a "tradition" of greatness to rest on, nor does it think it's football power now. as Washington does. Compared to the atmosphere of the Oregon program, Cal football is a club sport.

 

Washington still acts like it can contend for championships, compete with Oregon and USC, I don't think many at EWW Dub consider Utah a threat, so apathy hasn't set it, yet. But DeBoer will become TheBore if he doesn't win.

[kirklandduck]

On 6/27/2022 at 9:01 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I don't think that will happen under the new coach.  As DazeNconfused wrote in another thread...DeBoer has quite a confusing offense with all the sets, and will give opponents issues.

 

But can he recruit well enough to return the Huskies to the top of conference again?  THAT is the question...because if he cannot--they slide into becoming another "Cal."

DeBoer is certainly a step up from that sinking boat, Jimmy Lake.  He's what I call a "stability" hire, one that is level-headed and practical enough to stem the bleeding and shift their program back into neutral.  In terms of how well he can recruit, I'm skeptical that he could recruit at the level of Oregon and USC.  If he gets UW back to 7-8 wins a year for the next few years, he could pull in top 25 recruiting classes but he'll be hard pressed to get into the top 15. 

 

UW's brand is damaged as it no longer has that glowing aura for the state's best to consider the Huskies as a top choice, even when Chris Petersen was there he had to work overtime to get top 20 ranked classes consistently...which led to him burning out and leaving.  Other than that 2016 season where they snuck into the CFP on the back of an extremely weak schedule, the pups have been at best mediocre.  At least for the next 2-3 years UW will indeed be another Cal in terms of record and success.

[Haywarduck]

I didn't think if this initially, but how cruel to compare the dawgs to the Cal Bear program. The one, and I mean only thing the dawgs can hang their hat on as true, is their fine academic standing. You go and compare the dawgs to Cal, and, of course, they can't measure up.

 

The dawgs aren't the bears, in the classroom or the athletic department. Cal has many national titles to their men's programs credit, 33 in rugby alone, the dawgs 0 in any men's program. On top of that Cal has actual NCAA titles in rowing, the one area the dawg mens won back before there were titles. To compare the Cal program to the poor dawgs is just cruel, and kind of humorous.

[DazeNconfused]

Thanks for the article, Charles you make made some great points.

 

I'm going to say UW will not be Cal, and that DeBoer will get the guys he needs recruited or through the Portal for his system. I say that because his system with all the changing sets, motions, how his route trees work to create open spaces. 

 

You're not going to UW playing under DeBoer and going to feel like Mycah Pittman did last year. 

 

The defense is going to have a big impact on UW's sucess. Are they going to be playing shootouts or will they get the defense back to being solid? I think BeBoer's offense is going to keep the UW defense off the field a lot more this year. Deboer's offense will get UW some leads this year, and the UW defense didn't get that last year much.

 

Jonathon Donovan's Pro-Style offense averaged 320 yards a game last year and 21 points, in the bottom four of the Pac 12. I wouldn't be surprised to see them numbers go up to over 420 yards a game and 31 points this year and into the top 6 of the Pac 12.

 

If DeBoer gets some defensive help, then I think momentum will build recruiting over the next few years on both sides of the ball significantly. If UW becomes a shootout team with weak defense, then I see UW stuck as an 8-win team that can't land the Dudes they need to get them over the hump.

 

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 6/27/2022 at 11:22 AM, DazeNconfused said:

then I see UW stuck as an 8-win team that can't land the Dudes they need to get them over the hump.

Okay, that is a very reasoned response, and while I don't like it--I'd take it.  In particular, it would drive Husky fans crazy!

 

[Steven A]

On 6/27/2022 at 9:01 AM, Charles Fischer said:

But can he recruit well enough to return the Huskies to the top of conference again?

I don't see it.  The momentum is already lost for them with the new staff.  I see them as slightly better than Oregon State in regard to coaching and recruiting.

 

Even the "great" Chris Peterson was not all that good.  He beat us twice while favored 3 times.  No "big bowl" wins.  Add in an AD who doesn't know how/want to invest in sports.

 

Time to lick our chops while they are licking what dogs lick (as always)!

[1Ducker1]

In the immortal words of Fuskies everywhere--Times are Rough rough rough

[Duck 1972]

All I know is they got commitments from 8 players this past week. 2 4* and 6 3*. That's not a bad haul. Just saying!

[JDuck]

"Mistake on the lake where delusions of grandeur bloom eternal."  Oh that made my day...  so true too...

 

DeBoer's record speaks volumes...he is already getting more 4* than he had at Fresno St. and proved that coaching can take 3* to high levels, we saw that ourselves a few years ago, Belotti, Chip, etc.  So don't take the mutts lightly, any more than a Wilcox coached Cal.

 

And...Mari Cristbal...and staff, proves how much talent can be wasted with pathetic coaching.  Hoping of course Lanning and company will combine both elements for high levels of success.  I can't see our D being anything but stellar, and I have a feeling the offense will be good.  Can't be any worse than that what we saw the last 2 years!