Nothing too radical, the Huskies' legacy uniforms are a more, shall we say, regal shade of purple than the current Husky uniforms and have golden numbers in a less-blocky font than the current uniforms. Officially, the jerseys will be commemorating the 1960 Washington National Championship team.
Meanwhile, the USC Trojans will be wearing the same uniforms which they wore when they won the 2003 National Championship featuring cardinal numbers and shoulder stripes on a white jersey with mustard pants...which in itself is a "throw-back" to the Trojans' 1960's era uniforms.
Meanwhile, we hear rumors that Notre Dame will also be bringing out special jerseys to mark the 30th Anniversary of the 1977 Green Jersey Game when they host the Trojans on October 20th.
Dregs sounds like such a bottom of the barrel kind of thing. Last year the Pac-10 did have eight teams out of 10 finish with at least 6 wins, a bowl-minimum requirement. And even Washington finished at 5-7, just one win away from elbowing into the bowl discussion. Meanwhile, the Pac-10 has been dubbed the #2 conference behind the SEC in the discussion for best BCS conference in America. Many Pac-10 coaches and fans alike will tell you that there is rarely a cake-walk on a weekly basis once conference play begins. That said, here's a look at three teams in the Pac-10 this year that don't look like they'll be contenders, and more than likely will be left out of the holiday fun
Washington State University Cougars
Last year: 6-6 overall, 4-5 Pac 10
Why They'll Win: Offense, offense and more offense. Senior QB Alex Brink is poised to break almost every WSU career passing record imaginable. Even better, he's not only bulked up with 10 to 15 lbs of pure muscle this off-season, but he's cleaned up his mechanics in his delivery, reportedly showing improvement already in camp. The running game appears to be in good hands, as RB Dwight Tardy came on strong last year to lead the team in rushing as a red-shirt frosh, and sophomore Chris Ivory is a player on the rise in the program who will get the reps as Tardy's understudy. But the biggest advantage WSU will have this year is at WR. Brandon Gibson and Michael Bumpus are one of the most productive receiving tandems to return in '07, and combined with WR Charles Dillon and TE Jed Collins, the Cougars look like they'll be able to rack up yards in bunches.
Why They Won't: Defense, defense and more defense. Oh, where to begin? Best defensive end and team leader in all-conference selection Mkristo Bruce? Gone. Best linebacker in Scott Davis? See ya. Best defensive back in all-conference safety Eric Frampton? Buh-bye. The Cougar D had it's heart walk off the field after last year's season finale, and it won't be easy to rebuild. Further, the guys who are left are already experiencing injury issues. LB Andy Mattingly and safety Terry Mixon are both on the shelf for the time being, unsure if they will be ready to go in a couple or weeks. Finally, both starting corners from last year are gone, and the pool of available talent to replace them is shallow. Right now, the probable starters at corner are a true frosh (Chima Nwachukwa) and a JC transfer who didn't even play football last year (Devin Giles). Not what you look for when you want to contend in a conference that knows a thing or two on throwing the football.
Prognosis: The Cougars theme in 2006 was finish. 2005 was a year where several games turned out to be come-from-ahead losses, and for a while things improved last season. But it all fell apart late, and now, it's back to the drawing board in a lot of places. The schedule doesn't have many layups either. Opening at Wisconsin is a potential nightmare, and even San Diego State in Seattle the following week could be scary. Plus trips to Arizona and USC round out September. They'll be exciting to watch, and the aerial circus could be special, but too many holes on defense and the usual lack of depth will have the Cougars on the outside looking in when bowl invitations are handed out in December.
It seems like forever since Corey Williams made a big play for UW. His memorable TD catch as a frosh in the Apple Cup (pictured) was a spectacular play that is an all-time Husky moment in the series, as UW rallied to upset their 9th ranked in-state rivals that November evening in 2003. The future seemed amazingly bright for a talented receiver with good size (6-2, 190) and who showed flashes of brilliance, highlighted by that TD catch to put UW ahead for good.
But what's he done since then? Not much. The Husky coaching staff has been completely overhauled since his shining moment in '03, and Williams has been a player that just hasn't lived up to the expectations that began with so much hope. Is it his fault? Not entirely, as health always has something to do with it. He's battled nagging injuries since a fractured wrist at Notre Dame in 2004, and has had several other nicks and dings his whole time at UW.
However, this spring has been a different story. To the point that offensive coordinator Tim Lappano told Molly Yanity of the P-I that Corey Williams has been the pleasant surprise of spring ball thus far:
"He's making a lot of plays," Lappano said. "He's playing with a lot more confidence and he should. He's been in the system and is showing it. But he's been the surprise of the offense. He has been awesome."
Pretty high praise for a player that honestly hasn't shown much. Is this his final breakthrough moment as a 5th-year senior? Or will he revert back to being the player he's always been, battling inconsistency and developing more nagging injuries that keep him off the field? It's hard to think that he'll suddenly become an all-conference wideout when the previous body of work doesn't really show a whole lot other than a ton of potential, but Williams has always been an intriguing blend of size and athleticism at the WR position. With the loss of senior WR's Sonny Shackelford and Quentin Daniels, Williams could be an integral part of the UW passing game in 2007. As a 5th-year senior, it's now or never time for Williams.
Usually when we hear about college football players and automobiles, it invariably has to do with some kind of NCAA violation--like an Ohio State player getting use of a Cadillac Escalade from an Alumnus or an Oklahoma quarterback getting a job at a local car dealership to which he never had to show up.
However, when you play for the Washington Huskies--who give Stanford a run for their money in futility--sometimes you've got to take matters into your own hands. And that's exactly what Michael Houston, the Huskies' running back, did.
Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles is expected to step down this week. His departure is yet another symbol of the passing of one of college football's greatest generations, the great coaches who presided over the game from 1960 or so until the mid to late 1970's. Broyles coached the Razorbacks from 1958 to 1976 helping them win a championship and competing nationally in a great era against powers like Alabama, USC, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Another giant of his time has left us in the mortal sense: Bo Schembechler. Schembechler coached Michigan from 1969 to 1989 becoming the face of the program until his death just before the Michigan/Ohio State game last year.
Among the magnificent but dead is Alabama's Bear Bryant (1958-1982) who retired at the end of the 1982 season and promptly checked out of mortal existence. Ohio State's Woody Hayes (1951-1978) hung around until his death in 1987. Nebraska's Bob Devaney (1962-1972) checked out in 1997 and USC's comedic John McKay (1960-1975) lasted a little longer, passing away in 2001.
All those giants left the coaching ranks long ago, but each stewarded elite programs for a decade or more. To this day most of them remain the standard for which current coaches aspire to at each of their programs. Schembechler's death and Broyles' departure signal the end of their collective direct involvement in the college game.
They are the ones who were the game's caretakes from the mid to late 1970's until the late 1980's, an era of great transition and upheaval due to parity measures such as scholarship limits, the completion of racial integration and the rapid and dramatic death of plodding, run-heavy conventional offenses such as USC's "Student Body Right/Student Body Left" approach.
We'll save that analysis for another day, another time. Until then it's one final embrace of perhaps college football's "greatest generation" of coaches. Thanks for the memories, fellas.
University of Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback is known for his scrambling ability--drawing comparisons to Ell Roberson and Vince Young--but it's easy to forget that the Husky can throw a mean pass, too. Given the state of the USC Trojans' secondary, the Men of Troy had better watch out for the long ball come Saturday!
Because their pseudonymous Redskins did so well last weekend wearing the old-school jerseys, the Washington Huskies will be sporting 1960-style throwback jerseys Saturday when they host the USC Trojans.
Last year: 6-6 overall, 4-5 Pac 10
It seems like forever since Corey Williams made a big play for UW. His memorable TD catch as a frosh in the Apple Cup (pictured) was a spectacular play that is an all-time Husky moment in the series, as UW rallied to upset their 9th ranked in-state rivals that November evening in 2003. The future seemed amazingly bright for a talented receiver with good size (6-2, 190) and who showed flashes of brilliance, highlighted by that TD catch to put UW ahead for good. 
Usually when we hear about college football players and automobiles, it invariably has to do with some kind of NCAA violation--like an Ohio State player getting use of a Cadillac Escalade from an Alumnus or an Oklahoma quarterback getting a job at a local car dealership to which he never had to show up. 
Arkansas Athletic Director 
