No. 5 Washington (11-0) handed No. 11 Oregon State (8-3) its first home loss of the season Saturday, winning 22-20. Here’s what you need to know:
- Heisman-contending Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 13-of-28 passing for 162 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions and rushed for one TD. Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei was 15-of-31 for 166 yards passing with two interceptions.
- Washington receiver Rome Odunze hauled in seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Cornerback Jabbar Muhammad nabbed the two interceptions and three pass breakups.
- The Huskies join Liberty, No. 4 Florida State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 1 Georgia as the only 11-0 FBS teams.
How this impacts Washington in the CFP standings
Washington fans have been irked the last couple of weeks that the committee hasn’t bumped their undefeated team into the top four. It probably doesn’t matter, given one of two teams above them, No. 2 Ohio State or No. 3 Michigan, is going to lose next weekend. But they do have a point.
None of the 11-0 teams has taken a harder path. The Huskies now boast wins over (based on current rankings) No. 6 Oregon, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 17 Arizona and No. 22 Utah. They also won at USC, before the Trojans fully imploded. No other team in the country has four Top 25 wins, and only a couple have three.
I would not be surprised if Washington swaps spots with No. 4 Florida State this Tuesday, but ultimately it will need to win a rematch with either Oregon or Arizona in Vegas in a couple of weeks. — Stewart Mandel, college football editor-in-chief
Highlight of the game
The Michael Penix to Rome Odunze connection is spot on 🎯
🎥 @CBONFOXpic.twitter.com/ateDUmN3zL
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 19, 2023
Required reading
(Photo: Soobum Im / USA Today)
