This was just what the doctor ordered.  41-17.  With the BYE week behind us, getting the Beavers was like a pre-season game for us to work out the kinks.  And, make no mistake, the Huskies were NOT their sharpest.  Jake Browning only hit 50% of his passes, the front four weren’t really able to get home as well as in past games (only 1 sack for the defense overall), the defense was gashed pretty good in the ground game (177 total yards on 5.9 per attempt).  There were a lot of plays left on the field that could’ve made this game even more of a laugher, which is good.  That’s something the coaching staff can harp upon, with the hope that we have our best practice week ever.  This was a nice little re-tune-up for a HUMONGOUS showdown in Utah.

7-0 Huskies at 7-1 Utes.  12:30pm next Saturday.  ESPN College Gameday in attendance.

What we’re talking about is the last big opportunity for the Huskies to have an impact win on their resume.  Granted, the Cougs very well should be ranked by the time the Apple Cup rolls around, but Utah is a legit football program and the Cougs will always have lost to Eastern in week 1.  I’m not saying I won’t take a victory over a ranked Cougar team, but I am saying between Utah and Wazzu, there’s a whole lot of garbage teams we have to play.  Cal, USC, ASU; beating those teams won’t move the needle one bit.  It’ll be nice to have this win down in Utah under our caps, just in case voters start to forget how good we really are.

And, ohbytheway, the eyes of the nation will be on us.  Aside from Washington/Utah, there are really only two other marquee games on television on Saturday, and neither of those games are on at 12:30pm Pacific time. Which means, everyone on the east coast will get to turn their biased eyes west to watch The Class of the 2016 Pac-12.

I can’t even begin to tell you what it’s like to be a fan of this team right now.  It’s amazing, it’s crazy, it’s delirious, it’s nerve-wracking.  With every week, with every victory, the pressure is ratcheted up another notch.  My heart is in a vice, and the Huskies just gave it another quarter-crank.  But, at the same time, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Feeling sick and wonderful at the same time is like a drug you never want to stop taking.  I’d give anything to keep this run rolling, even though I know the ride could malfunction at any point and the rollercoaster car could come crashing down at any moment wiping us all out.  Week by week, it gets more intense, and the only relief from that intensity is a Husky loss.  And then the ride’s over, and then you’re just left with boring ol’, dumb ol’, regular ol’ reality.

THE HUSKIES ARE 7-0!!!  OHIO STATE JUST LOST, OPENING THE DOOR TO US BEING IN THE TOP 4!!!

It’s all there before us!  STILL!  Win out, grab a playoff spot, have a legitimate chance for college football glory!

These opportunities don’t come around every year.  I know, if the Huskies lose, Dawg fans around the Pacific Northwest will go into Just Wait Until Next Year mode.  “This thing’s just getting started,” people will say.  But, it could also not come around again for another 30 years, or 50 years, or after we’re all dead.  When you have a team this special, you have to cherish every moment like it’s your last, because this might be the best Husky football team that we ever see!  And to think that it still might not be good enough to run the table in a so-so Pac-12 is just too depressing to bear.

Nervous yet?  Thrilled beyond comprehension?  Let’s go beat those fucking Utes.

I’ll be at Disneyland during the game, so either I’ll be the happiest I’ve ever been, while at the Happiest Place On Earth, or I’m going to need some serious cheering up by Mickey Mouse and the gang.