U-Wash coach Kalen DeBoer takes non-league games seriously. His teams have covered in all but one out of a 10-game sample. The Huskies get Boise at an ideal time. The Broncos were dealt significant losses on defense, especially in the secondary, and Washington welcomes back QB Michael Penix Jr., orchestrator of the nation's No. 2 passing offense a year ago. Few teams are blessed with more productive returnees overall than the Huskies.

The Huskies bring back the key components from a prolific offense that ranked seventh in the country in scoring (39.7). QB Michael Penix Jr., who led the country in passing yards per game (357.0) last season, is the ringmaster of the aerial circus and will be stat-hunting all season. Top receiver Rome Odunze also is back. Washington is a scoring machine that can put up points in a hurry, and Boise State will have difficulty keeping up.

The Washington hype train may be a bit too much. Maybe it can win the Pac-12 or artist formerly known as Prince symbol or Chia Pet 4 or whatever it is now. When's the last time a transfer QB from Indiana(!?!) made such a big difference in NCAA football as Michael Penix Jr. did last year for UDub? The Huskies are going to be awesome through the air but have big O-Line and defensive questions. Boise State should win the Mountain West barring injury, and I expect it to run, run and run to keep the UW offense off the field. QB Taylen Green and RBs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty are all back. They combined for 2,566 yards on the ground in 2022.