Washington State lost on Friday night, and they left open some room for the Huskies of Washington to breathe. Washington has been playing well of late, and the Cougars were catching up. Washington State football was surprising everyone, and now they have surprised us by losing. The problem here is that Washington State probably cannot get back into the CFP unless everyone around them loses. They are not at the same level as other teams that would be considered for the CFP, and Washington had their chance when they lost.
Washington State made headway
I personally believe that the Cougars of Washington State have created some headway for the future. They might not go as far as they wanted this year, but we will remember next year if they play just as well. This is a very important distinction because it makes sure that a team like Washington State has some eyes on it when the next season starts. Of course we will not think of them as being in the top five, but we might remember them enough to start them in good position for the opening of the season. Washington State would then be in control of its own destiny, and that is fair enough. They might not ever beat Washington or get into the CFP, but they would be in the conversation in the media and on the committee.
Washington needed help
I can almost guarantee that the Huskies at Washington did not think that State would be this good. They probably had no idea that Mike Leach's offense would work again, but it has. Now that Washington has been given some breathing room through a loss, we need to see if Washington can capitalize on that and go to the playoff.
It is a really disappointing season because they had the Pac 12 teed up for them like this and they lost it. They just lost and made their whole season a failure.
The PAC 12 is inconsistent
We are at the point where the PAC 12 might be left out of the CFP just because they seem to be the most inconsistent of all the conferences.
Clemson could get into the playoff because their league is much better. The Big Ten looks better for Penn State, and the Big 12 has looked far better for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or TCU. That is where the conference causes you problems, and you need to be very nervous if you are the Huskies because it looks bad now. Watching Washington State lose is important, but that means nothing if the conference lets you down. I will maintain that Washington is going to win this league, but not go to the final four.
