Can Washington be nationally relevant in the modern college football ecosystem?
So much has changed in the sport since the Huskies won their last conference title only four years ago.
theathletic.com
Try not to puke since it's about UW, and none of it is that surprising, but it is interesting to see how some people in the UW universe view its position and struggles, especially if you then apply them to WSU, which has many, many more challenges than UW. There are tons of quotes and nuggets about the CFB landscape generally, including anecdotes about huge, multi-million dollar NIL deals in the SEC and even a 3-star recruit getting up to $500k in NIL money. One nugget in there is Jen Cohen claiming that state ethics rules make NIL harder from an institutional perspective in Washington than in some other states in the Pac-12 footprint. Overall, UW comes across as not wanting to really go all-in on NIL and there not being a ton of appetite among its fanbase for it, but the context is trying to compete against Oregon, USC, and SEC teams, not just landing a few 4-star prospects.
The article is part of a series on programs that are scuffling lately after having had some prior success. There won't be a WSU one.