Head coach: Jedd Fisch (ranked #11 in the Big Ten)

Offensive Coordinator: Brennan Carroll (ranked #6 in the Big Ten)

Defense Coordinator: Steve Belichick (number 16 in the Big Ten)

Washington’s most recent history is an improbable run to the 2023 national championship game. The Huskies finished the season 14-1 overall after losing to Michigan. It was one of the best seasons in the storied program’s history.

Taking a step back, the Huskies program is coming off a two-year Kalen DeBoer era in which the team lost just three games overall. They went 25-3, including a 17-2 conference record and one Pac-12 title. After a period of transition in the years since the Chris Petersen era ended, Washington is back to operating as one of the best programs in the sport.

That’s where the outlook for 2024 gets interesting. Star head coach DeBoer is leaving for Alabama, with former Arizona HC Jedd Fisch replacing him. Fisch is on a similar trajectory to DeBoer, having taken Arizona from 1-11 to 10-3 in just three years.

Fisch and the new Huskies should keep DeBoer’s momentum going. The program has long been one of the most competitive of the West Coast powers. That should remain the case — though 2024 may be more of a transition year than anything else.

Transfers in: 22

Outgoing transfers: 29

The transfer movement in and out of Washington this offseason has been extensive. Notable departures include OL Parker Brailsford (Alabama), CB Jabbar Muhammad (Oregon), S Mishael Powell (Miami), QB Austin Mack (Alabama) and WR Germie Bernard (Alabama).

But the team welcomes a major transfer class, led by former Mississippi State QB Will Rogers. He was committed to the program when DeBoer was in charge, but then decided to stay on board for the Fisch era.

Rogers is joined by former Arizona WR Kevin Green Jr., RB Jordan Washington, QB Demond Williams Jr., iOL Michael Watkins, edge defenders Russell Davis and Isaiah Ward, WR Audric Harris, CB Ephesians Prysock and RB Jonah Coleman.

The Huskies start five transfers on defense, led by Prysock and DL Ward and Sebastian Valdez. Four transfers will help lead the offense, none more so than Rogers.

Total won: 6.5

Choice: OVER (8-4, with wins over Weber State, Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers, Iowa, Indiana, UCLA, Michigan)

Las Vegas isn’t high on the Huskies’ list for 2024 after welcoming a new coaching staff and returning just 36 percent of last year’s production. The team faces the same challenging schedule as every other team in the new Big Ten, with conference games against Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, USC and Iowa. But Fisch’s recent history and the program’s talent level point to a solid debut campaign.

Washington will have questions to answer in 2024 as it moves to the Big Ten while welcoming a new coaching regime.

The season will be defined primarily by play against mid- and bottom-tier Big Ten programs, including Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern, Indiana and UCLA. If Washington can find success in those matchups, it would provide a strong foundation during the transition. It would then set the program up to emerge as a contender once Fisch reshapes the roster.

Much of the team’s 2024 performance will hinge on Rogers’ arm and a new defense with some real questions up front. It’s fair to expect bowl qualification as a starting point, despite the program’s lingering questions.

Bowl projection: Holiday Bowl vs. Louisville

It’s hard to see a complete regression from Washington after finishing 14-1 in 2023. There are plenty of wins on the slate, so even if the team regresses, bowl qualification should be a given.

Fisch and his coaching staff did well to reload the roster into the transfer portal after a delayed hiring cycle, an effort that should help the program reach its 7-5 or 8-4 floor.

Wisconsin doesn’t play Washington in 2024, so Badgers fans may not be immediately interested in the Huskies.

But Washington is another program that has a chance to surpass the Badgers in the new Big Ten landscape. Many progressive program power rankings have the Huskies higher, especially after the breakthrough 2023 season.

Badgers fans will want to keep an eye on how the Huskies perform in year one under Fisch and how that performance compares to the Badgers in year two under Fickell. The two programs have similar over-under win totals. We’ll see which one exceeds that expectation.

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