Huskies Haven't Beaten Anyone Good, But Stanford Win Would Ease the Pain

The UW hasn't won in Palo Alto since 2007, when Ty Willingham took his new team up against his old one.

The University of Washington and Stanford football teams each bring 3-4 records into Saturday night's game in Palo Alto, which on the surface would appear to suggest they are comparable opponents.

Yet those identical and lackluster overall win-loss columns hardly tell the whole story here.

There is a huge difference between this pair of sub.-500 Pac-12 programs: Stanford has toppled someone formidable, while the Huskies haven't even defeated an average foe.

The Cardinal own a signature outing or two, counting victories over Oregon and USC. 

The UW haven't beaten anyone of any college football significance.

No one with anything close to a winning record.

Zip when it comes to even downing a break-even foe.

Let's review the Washington schedule: Entering Stanford Stadium, Jimmy Lake's team has bested Arkansas State 52-3 at home, California 31-24 in overtime in Husky Stadium and Arizona 21-16 in Tucson.

That would be 0-7 Arizona, weighted down by a 19-game losing streak, which is the longest in conference history, school history and currently in the nation.

That's also 1-6 Arkansas State, which has lost six consecutive games after beating Central Arkansas in its opener.

And this includes 2-5 California, which counts victories only over FCS Sacramento State and 2-5 Colorado.

Do the math: those UW opponents hold a collective 3-18 record entering the weekend.

As far as FBS football goes, that's barely breathing, being on life-support, showing scant signs of life. 

Stanford upset Oregon at home early in the season.  / USA TODAY Sports

Two months into the 2021 season, the Huskies haven't beaten anyone of any substance at all, which should be worrisome.

This was a team ranked No. 20 in the AP preseason poll, which is considered the most comprehensive and knowledgeable voting on teams nationwide. 

This was a veteran lineup filled with returning All-Pac-12 players and projected NFL draft picks that has greatly underperformed. 

Instead after 29 quarters of play, the Huskies have virtually nothing to show for two months of play in what was supposed to be Lake's coming-out season, maybe even a return to glory.

A win over Stanford and its 6-foot-6 quarterback Tanner McKee would count for something. The record might not show it, but this is a brand name. McKee might be the best player at his position in the league now. 

This is also a program that hasn't been defeated at home by a Washington team since 2007, or when former Cardinal coach Tyrone Willingham was in the third of his four dismal seasons heading up the Huskies. 

The UW will show up without starting linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and former first-team tailback Richard Newton, out for the season after having surgery to repair arm and knee injuries, respectively. 

Starting strong safety Asa Turner has a fractured bone in his shoulder and isn't expected to be on the trip.

Past starters in offensive tackle Jackson Kirkland, defensive tackle Taki Taimani, strong safety Cam Williams and free safety Alex Cook likely won't be available either. 

So the UW visits Stanford in bad shape, both personnel-wise and in terms of reputation. While the Cardinal has been the only blot on Oregon's ledger and got USC coach Clay Helton fired, it is far from a fearsome football team. 

An unexpected victory in traditionally a hard place for the Huskies to win would go a long way to making them feel better about themselves.

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