Washington Huskies (Last year's record: 7-6, Key wins: USC, Oregon St., Cal, Nebraska)
Eastern Washington Eagles (Last year's record: 13-2, Key wins: Villanova, Delaware)
College football season is finally here. While the Washington Huskies are coming off their first bowl win since 2000, the Eastern Washington Eagles enter this season as the FCS defending national champions.
The big storyline this offseason for the Huskies has been how the team will deal with the loss of Jake Locker.The team's successor will be sophomore Keith Price who saw action in eight of the Huskies' 13 games in 2010.
The Eagles lose their All-American running back Taiwan Jones but return arguably the best quarterback in the FCS, senior Bo Levi. After just one season in Eastern's program, Levi is sixth all-time in the school's record books with 37 touchdown passes.
Eastern Washington
Offensive Player to Watch:
Brandon Kaufman (Jr.), Wide Receiver
Levi's main target will be Kaufman, a returning starter who hauled in 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns. Kaufman torched the Eagles' final two opponents en route to a national championship. He caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown in the semifinals against Villanova and then proceeded to catch nine passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the national championship game against Delaware.
Defensive Player to Watch:
Renard Williams (Jr.), Defensive Line
The Port Orchard native was selected as a preseason first team All-Big Sky selection by football guru Phil Steele. Last year he finished the season with 9.5 sacks and ranked 17th in the FCS with a .78 sack per game average. He will be a player to watch in the trenches against the Huskies' offensive line.
Prediction:
Washington 31, Eastern Washington 10