2005 Washington Huskies Handicapping Review

 

By Tom Wilkinson

 

The Washington Huskies beat the sports betting odds in four of their final six games of the 2001 season. That was to be a high-water mark for sports bettors that has not been attained since. Their problems began in 2002 when they dropped six consecutive games against the odds in weeks four through nine to finish 5-8 against the pointspread. After a tumultuous offseason in which assistant Keith Gilbertson had to take over as head coach Washington beat the sports betting odds in just four out of twelve games for 2003 while going 6-6 straight up. The Huskies entered the 2004 season with a lot of questions and doubts from sports betting bloggers, who could sense that the program had not only slipped a notch, but was unlikely to improve under Gilbertson.

The 2004 season opener caused nothing short of panic not only amongst Washington fans, but the sports handicapping community as well. Washington was decimated at home by Fresno State 16-35 as 1-point chalks. Much like the rush on the banks in 1929 the Huskies sports handicapping stock crashed, nobody wanted them on their list of football picks, and sports betting bloggers openly screamed (at least in ALL CAPS) that they would have the team opposing Washington at the top of their lists of football picks the rest of the season.

In their next game against UCLA, a pick ‘em affair at home, Washington lost 31-37. It was, at least, a good effort although one that did not pay off for sports bettors. In their next game, however, Washington left no doubt about their status as they were clobbered 3-38 at Notre Dame as 11-point dogs by an Irish team that was mediocre itself. What was even more alarming, however, was Washington’s next game at Stanford. As 13.5-point dogs against the perennial Pac 10 cellar dwellers Washington was soundly beaten 13-27. The Huskies couldn’t even win when they won as they failed to beat the sports betting odds as 18-point home chalks in a rather lackluster 21-6 win over San Jose State, one of college football’s worst programs. The Huskies would ended up losing four more consecutive games both straight up and against the sports betting lines to Oregon State, Southern Cal, Oregon, and Arizona to start out the season with nine consecutive losses against the pointspread. With their sports handicapping credibility completely shot, Washington was a whopping 30.5-point dog at undefeated Cal and got the cash in a 12-42 loss. They then covered the season finale at Washington State as 12.5-point dogs in a 25-28 loss.