Washington Huskies football: No Wazzu, no problem – 5 potential replacements
Sunday, the Pac-12 canceled the annual Apple Cup game between the Washington Huskies and WSU due to COVID-19 concerns. Here are five potential replacement opponents.
Due to COVID-19 concerns at Washington State University, the more than a century-old annual Apple Cup game with the Washington Huskies is officially off. So much for tradition this season. What a shame, this was shaping up to be a good game with more than the usual amount of storylines.
Washington already had one game canceled this year when Cal couldn’t field enough players for the season opener. A second “non-game” would put a big dent in UW’s hopes for the postseason. The Huskies are now left scrambling.
Recently, the Pac-12 announced that they reversed a previous decision and will now allow non-conference games, so conference teams can replace canceled games. According to multiple reports, Washington reached out to BYU for a game this weekend.
The eighth-ranked Cougars declined the invitation. It’s quite possible that Utah may come available if Arizona State is still unable to play. In that case, the Huskies and Utes play each other.
Because a conference game would take precedence over a non-conference one, there are no guarantees a Washington Huskies – BYU Cougars matchup would happen. That is unacceptable to Brigham Young, so they declined. Now what?
If I’m head coach Jimmy Lake and the UW coaches, I’m prepping for Utah. Meanwhile, Washington Huskies athletic director Jennifer Cohen should be working behind the scenes to find a backup. Fortunately, for the Huskies, there are options available.
Most Likely Game – San Diego State Aztecs
The Mountain West Conference already canceled this week’s game between San Diego State and Fresno State. A coronavirus outbreak at Fresno leaves the Aztecs with an open date. Traveling shouldn’t be a problem for either school. While SDSU isn’t ideal, playing against an FBS opponent with a winning record works.
Ranked Team Game – Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Believe it or not, Tulsa is 5–1 and ranked 24th in the country. After losing to Oklahoma State in the season opener, the Golden Hurricane need a win against a marquee opponent. One big snag is Tulsa already had two cancellations in the American Athletic Conference. If another AAC team comes available this weekend, they may have to play within their conference.
Desperate Team Game – Wyoming Cowboys
Wyoming’s last two games were canceled because of COVID-19 on their team. This week’s opponent, UNLV, was forced to cancel their last game, and the likelihood of Saturday’s contest is on the wrong side of a toss-up. Just like San Diego State, a meeting between these teams is very feasible, logistically.
Dream Game – Miami Hurricanes
This one is highly unlikely for the same reasons a BYU game won’t happen. Even though ninth-ranked Miami has a bye this week, they wouldn’t play Washington without a guarantee. Besides, the Canes don’t need a big name win as badly as BYU does. Even so, it would be a great matchup between two Power-5 teams.
Best of What’s Left Game – New Mexico Lobos
This is the least appealing option next to a week off. New Mexico is 0–4 this year and coming off of a 28–0 defeat against Air Force. The Washington Huskies don’t have much to gain here, other than adding a “W” to their record. At this point, a game is a game, and the Washington Huskies need a game.
Out of the Box Idea
Unless something else unfolds in the Pac-12, let Washington play either San Diego State or Tulsa. Then if ASU isn’t ready to play Utah, the Holy War game with BYU would make a nice replacement. If the Pac-12 really wanted to give the fans something, UW could play ASU (with an opponent on standby) and play the Holy War anyway.