COLUMN: The Huskies can earn their way into the playoff

One of my favorite teams to pay attention to this season has been the Washington Huskies. Aside from moving here in May and becoming more acquainted with the popular sports teams in the state, I have always been drawn to the Huskies since the early years of the playoff era.   

Many sports fans have their quirks, one of which is being a nerd about uniforms. I happen to fall into that group and find the Huskies to have not only some of the better uniforms but even color schemes for an athletic program in the country. Whenever they rise into playoff and national championship contention, I find myself silently rooting for the purple and gold.   

I cheered hard for the Huskies to win the national championship two years ago when they fell to the Michigan Wolverines. This year, they are finally bouncing back from that loss as they sit at 4-1 heading into their game against Rutgers at home.   

As we near the halfway mark of the season, the Huskies are primed to compete for a playoff spot. To the ear, that might sound like a stretch. They lost 24-6 to Ohio State and had to pull off an improbable comeback on the road to defeat Maryland 24-20.   

However, these two experiences for the Huskies are shaping them to be prepared for the tougher matchups that still lie ahead of them.   

Let's not forget that the Huskies hung with the Buckeyes for the majority of the game and were only down 14-6 at the start of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was incredibly accurate against arguably the best defense in the country. He went 18 for 22 with 173 yards passing. The run game had moments of brilliance but was ultimately shut down. The defense holding them to 24 points is more impressive than it initially looked.   

No matter the outcome, teams with winning cultures improve when they face top competition like the Buckeyes. If they were to meet again in the big ten championship game or in the playoffs, this game would be even closer.   

As for overcoming Maryland, a late comeback win like that builds grit. As an Ohio State fan, I am spoiled to see my favorite team typically dominate their opponents and win by two scores or more. Whenever a win comes in the fashion of the Huskies' win did, fans are usually outraged and understandably critical. I would not be surprised if UW fans felt the same way last weekend.   

However, I find wins like that more beneficial than any blowout win could ever be. When a football team has to fight hard to earn their win and overcome a seemingly impossible level of adversity, they are better prepared for anything that comes its way later in the season. The Huskies are going to be less likely to hang their heads in the coming weeks if they are down late against ranked opponents like Illinois, Michigan and Oregon.   

Another aspect of the Huskies is the young stars on their roster that make them one of the most overlooked teams in the country.   

Williams and running back Jonah Coleman continue to be the breakout stars of the Big Ten. Joining them in that group is freshman receiver Dezmen Roebuck. He has come up in big moments for the Huskies this season and was instrumental in helping the Huskies complete the comeback against the Terrapins on Saturday.   

These players will have to continue to lead this team against the Big Ten as the season continues. Not a single team on the remaining schedule can be overlooked. However, if they can overcome Illinois and Michigan, it will be time for the mainstream chatter to start including the Huskies in the conversation of playoff spots.   

This team is primed to compete with some of the best in the Big 10 conference and in the country. Even if they lose a few more games and miss the playoffs, they will be a force to reckon with in the coming seasons with the incredible young talent on the rise.