SEATTLE — As the college football regular season ended, you were probably just as likely to come across articles of Notre Dame’s complaints or schools like Baylor skipping bowl season altogether.
You didn’t need to prove we’re in a new world of college football, but it’s there. (Notre Dame was actually mad about the ACC lobbying for one of its football-playing schools (Miami) to get in over a hybrid member (Notre Dame) who refuses to play football in the ACC. (You can’t make this stuff up).
Indeed, a lot of things about college football are broken. The calendar, the schedule, players, and schools deciding the end-of-season reward doesn’t mean as much as a head start on training or the transfer portal.
With all of that said. Here’s Washington and Jedd Fisch. A breath of fresh air.
They officially have zero opt-outs for the Dawgs bowl game.
None. Even with potential first-round NFL Draft picks on the roster.
A throwback when college football needs it most.
“We’re out here to win the game,” Fisch said of the Huskies playing in the LA Bowl this Saturday against Boise State.
“We’re out here to play our best football, we’re going to challenge our team to play better than we have and see how good we can play on Saturday, and hope that we can channel all of that energy and enthusiasm up to play our best game,” Fisch added.
The L.A. Bowl is far from college football’s most prestigious. It’s neat, played in primetime (on KOMO4 Saturday at 5 p.m.) on the opening day for bowl games. But it’s not the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl or any of the other College Football Playoff games.
But it’s another game.
For some players, this is it.
For all of UW’s players, it’s the last one they have this season. A chance to finish the 2025 season with a three-game improvement and a 9-win season.
In an era where all that seems to matter is the most NIL money or the next job or anything but the bowl, Fisch’s approach with the Huskies is what the sport needs more of.
“I’m looking forward to celebrating with our seniors in this final chapter for them. And then looking forward to seeing what it looks like between now and January 3rd with all the interesting things that are occurring in college football to try and keep our team together” Fisch said.
That’s an important part of this—you can still play in the bowl AND hit the transfer portal if that’s in the best interest of a particular player. And there’s something to be said for seeing the journey through. Not ducking out early. We saw College Football Playoff teams lose players ahead of a chance to win a national title—or in the case of Ole Miss—lose their coach ahead of a national championship opportunity.
Those things are allowed and understood in the modern game.
But the fact that Fisch has kept his staff and team together for one last hurrah to take on the Mountain West Champion Boise State is a testament to the program and the culture within it.
“Tonight, the Eagles are playing the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, next Sunday the Lions are playing the Rams at SoFi. We’re sandwiched in the middle of that. And if you can’t appreciate and be excited about the fact that you’re about to walk out on the same field that Justin Herbert is walking on, Jalen Hurts is walking on that Matthew Stafford is walking on that you’re not excited about walking on the same field that the general managers are looking at all these players, and you’re on that field? Then you’re missing the opportunity to do something super cool” Fisch said.
Fisch has often lamented the college football calendar and reiterated Monday he would be in favor of expanding the College Football Playoff.
Until college football figures out something better, his Huskies are providing a shining example of what college football used to be–and could be once again.
The L.A. Bowl kicks off at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, airing on KOMO 4 in Seattle.
