Washington, out of the playoff race, sets out to wreck Nebraska, Oregon and Indiana's plans

Washington's playoff hopes are close to gone. Its chance to shape the Big Ten race is not. At 4-3 and 1-3 in conference play, the Huskies have a final month that runs through three teams still chasing College Football Playoff spots: Nebraska, Oregon and defending national champion Indiana.

As Huskies Wire laid out, Nebraska and Oregon each have two losses, so a third would probably end either team's playoff case. Indiana is the most dangerous team left on the schedule, but the Hoosiers just lost for the first time this season, at home to No. 3 Ohio State. Washington gets them at Husky Stadium, where Jedd Fisch's program and the teams before it have gone 32-4 since 2022.

The opponents arrive in rough shape. Nebraska went into its bye on a two-game losing streak. Huskies Wire reported that Oregon's offense has struggled badly without starting quarterback Dante Moore. Washington, meanwhile, finally got something going on offense. Backup quarterback Elijah Brown led a 38-26 win at Purdue, and the Huskies ran for close to 200 yards against the Boilermakers. One game is a small sample, but it was the first conference win for a team that started the season with playoff hopes of its own.

What it means for Nebraska

The first spoiler chance comes Saturday, Oct. 31, in Lincoln. Kickoff is 5 p.m. Pacific on BTN, according to the Washington athletics schedule. Nebraska will be coming off its bye.

The numbers show why the Purdue win stood out. Washington swept its nonconference games against Washington State, Utah State and Eastern Washington, outscoring them 88-40. In Big Ten play the Huskies have been outscored 119-107. Two of the three league losses were close: 27-24 to Minnesota and 25-21 at No. 18 USC. The 41-24 home loss to No. 20 Iowa was the only lopsided result. The 38 points at Purdue were Washington's most against a Big Ten opponent this fall, and only the 48 it put on Eastern Washington was higher all season.

So Washington has mostly been close against conference teams without being able to finish. The Purdue game was its first league win and its first road win. Whether Brown and the running game can do it again in Lincoln will say a lot about how the rest of the season goes. If the offense that showed up in West Lafayette is real, Nebraska has to handle a team with nothing to lose at a point where one more loss probably ends the Huskers' playoff push.

The Huskies need two more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and the remaining schedule offers few easy games. Every remaining conference opponent carries more at stake than Washington does, and that may be the most useful advantage the Huskies have left.

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