The other UW

So we've added Washington to the future non-conference schedule, a home-and-home series in 2017 and2018. Very nice addition of a big name opponent.

Right? I think so. But consider this:

The first game in this series won't happen for another eight years. Eight years ago, Washington won the Pac-10 and played in the Rose Bowl. But in the ensuing years, UW football cratered, and last year they were arguably the worst big-conference team in college football. They beat USC this year and appear to be getting better, but they're not all the way back.

Who knows, maybe Washington will be back to conference and national championship caliber status in 2017. Maybe they'll stink. Maybe they'll go back and forth several times. Point is, it's hard to know when you're making out the non-conference schedule so far in advance.

How good will Oregon State, Washington State, and Arizona State when they show up on our schedule in the next decade? All of them have had their moments of greatness, all of them have suffered through mediocrity.

That 2017 home schedule looks awesome, though, with Virginia Tech joining Washington in making the trip to Camp Randall. That is, of course, unless whoever our coach is at the time decides to push the Virginia Tech date back another decade and schedule Cal Poly instead.