This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Thanks to Stanford's 25-23 victory over North Carolina in the Sun Bowl, the Pac-12 is even (2-2) in the bowl season. The competition gets exponentially tougher Saturday. Washington vs. Alabama, Peach Bowl, 1 p.m. MST, ESPN The Pac-12 is back in the College Football Playoff after a one-year absence, and the Huskies are biting off a lot as they face Alabama in Atlanta. Staying with the Crimson Tide is this game will require the best coaching work of Chris Petersen and his staff. If there's one critical aspect of this matchup, it is Washington's offensive line vs. Alabama's defensive line. Specifically, the Huskies have to give quarterback Jake Browning time to throw, or they will have no chance of moving the ball against the Tide. Judging by bowl performances, Washington's recent wins over Washington State and Colorado have been devalued – even though they seemed very impressive at the time. The Huskies won't be overwhelmed by the Tide, but they won't beat them. Alabama 31, Washington 17. – Kurt Kragthorpe