Joel Klatt labels Washington as underappreciated, a serious College Football Playoff contender

No. 8 Washington went to East Lansing this past weekend and emphatically made their biggest statement yet this season. Now, henceforth, Joel Klatt says the rest of the nation better have their eyes out for the Huskies.

Klatt had high praise for Washington through three weeks of the season during his show on Monday. He believes that no one is giving this team any, or at least enough of, their due respect considering how well they’ve played to this point.

“I think we’re underselling, right now, and undervaluing Washington. Washington is freaking good, man,” said Klatt. “Like, not just, ‘Oh, good for a Pac-12 team’, ‘Oh, they throw the ball well’. That’s just a really good football team, Kalen DeBoer is a good football coach, Michael Penix Jr. is a bonafide Heisman candidate. Period.”

Klatt further sold his point by looking at what took place against Michigan State last Saturday. Washington demolished the Spartans on both sides of the ball and showed all of their different pieces in a 34-point non-conference road win.

“They housed Michigan State, not even close. They beat them 41-7 and led 35-0 at half,” Klatt noted. “Penix was incredible – 27-35 for 473 yards and four touchdowns, no interceptions.”

“They’ve got great wide receivers on the outside. He had time, was barely touched in the pocket,” said Klatt. “They throw it down the field as well as anyone in the country. And that’s a pretty good defense.”

Through three appearances, Washington undoubtedly has one of the nation’s best offenses as they rank eighth with an average of 46.7 points per game. That’s only better with the Husky defense currently sitting at No. 17 overall as they’re helping to create a scoring margin of nearly 35 points and a yardage margin of almost 300 yards.

In conclusion, Klatt simply has no question about the legitimacy of Washington. He sees them as a more than justifiable pick both in the Pac-12 and the College Football Playoff based on what he has seen from them so far in 2023.

“I think that this is a legit playoff team. Absolutely. There’s no doubting,” Klatt said. “If there’s one team in the country that we are underappreciating right now as a college football entity, as just a national spotlight? It’s absolutely Washington. If there’s one player that we’re undervaluing right now in the country? It’s Michael Penix. This guy can play.”

“Washington is a problem for everybody. Not just in the Pac-12, not just for USC – for everybody. Let me just put it to you this way – which offense, which quarterback, which team do you trust in the Top-11 to get in a shootout with Washington and actually come out on top? That’s when this gets interesting,” said Klatt. “Are we undervaluing Washington? Absolutely, absolutely. Washington is legit.”