What's wrong with Washington? Tougher schedule, pedestrian QB play have Huskies off to disappointing start

Coming out of last season, Washington had a lot of momentum. The Huskies went 9-4 with the duo of Jedd Fisch and Demond Williams Jr. entering their third year together.

It seemed like Washington was set up to be a dark horse Big Ten championship contender, but those hopes have been derailed rather quickly. Following back-to-back losses to Minnesota and USC the Huskies are 0-2 in the Big Ten, 3-2 overall and may have to battle just to reach bowl eligibility if things don't improve soon.

The million dollar question is why haven't Fisch and Washington been able to capitalize on that nine-win season last fall. Despite some key losses on offense, Williams was supposed to be one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Instead, he's plateaued as the Huskies have faced tougher competition.

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Chip Patterson

There are still seven games left for Washington to get back on track, but the road won't get any easier. Between Williams' struggles and a markedly more difficult road ahead, the Huskies are poised to take a step back after beginning the season with eyes on another nine-win campaign.

Huskies feasted on weak 2025 schedule

Allow me to propose the idea that the 2025 version of Washington wasn't drastically better than the 2026 version. The biggest difference between the teams -- and their final records -- might be the schedule.

Last fall, the Huskies played the third-easiest schedule in the Big Ten, according to ESPN FPI. Only Nebraska and Maryland had easier paths. Looking ahead for the rest of this season, Washington faces the fifth-toughest remaining strength of schedule.

Washington deserves credit for taking advantage of a soft Big Ten slate last year, but the team's resume is relatively easy to pick apart in hindsight. Against conference opponents with winning records, the Huskies went 1-3. That record improved to 4-1 against Big Ten opponents with losing records.

Four of Washington's wins last fall came against Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue and UCLA. Those teams went a combined 12-34.

Life will be harder for the Huskies in 2026, and we've already seen that through the first five weeks. Washington has come up short against Minnesota and USC, two teams that will finish at or above .500, barring some kind of catastrophic collapse.

The trouble for the Huskies is that their remaining schedule is filled with quality competition. That starts this weekend when No. 20 Iowa visits Seattle, and Washington also has to face Nebraska, Penn State, Indiana and Oregon down the stretch.

Up next for Huskies

With two losses already, repeating last season's nine-win mark seems like a pipe dream.

Williams hasn't taken the next step

That more daunting schedule would be less of an issue if Williams took another step forward in his third season at Washington, but that's not what happened.

In the offseason, Williams and his camp kicked up some drama when they tried to bolt for LSU after signing a new NIL deal with Washington. The Huskies fought successfully to keep him on the roster, but those efforts haven't been rewarded yet.

On the surface, Williams' numbers aren't bad. He's completed 67.5% of his passes for 1,327 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His yards per completion and yards per attempt have taken slight dips, but nothing that jumps off the page.

Then again, maybe that's the issue. Washington was banking on Williams being a star at quarterback this fall, and he's fallen well short of that bar.

Look under the hood, and some of the shine comes off Williams' raw numbers. Williams ranks 112th nationally in EPA per drop back, and his raw EPA of -16.72 ranks 123rd. That's not what you expect when a team ponies up to keep a player -- and then gets in a very public fight to prevent him from transferring.

Williams has lacked help around him in 2026. His best receiver (Denzel Boston), leading rusher (Jonah Coleman) and left tackle (Carver Willis) from last season all heard their names called in the NFL Draft.

The protection in front of Williams has broken down too often with the Huskies allowing 3.0 sacks per game, which ranks 125th.

Then again, sacks can be a quarterback stat too, and Saturday's loss to USC was a great example. On the play that ultimately decided the game, Williams stood in the pocket and double-clutched before taking a hit and fumbling for a scoop and score.

Williams struggled to make plays in high-leverage situations all night, and that was a big reason Washington was a miserable 1-for-12 on third down against USC. The Huskies did convert 75% of their fourth-down attempts, but that's not a sustainable recipe for success.

If the Huskies are going to get their season back on track and at least match what they did last season, Williams has to elevate his performance in the last seven games.