ESPN has Washington sitting at No. 12 in its preseason power rankings.

That’s a couple of spots below where the Huskies fell in the preseason AP Top 25, but still indicative of the respect UW has received since the 2022 season ended. In Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer, Washington was among the most exciting teams in the country. In Year 2, the whole group runs it back with the hope of making it to the College Football Playoff.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura thinks the CFP is certainly within reach. He wrote the Huskies’ best-case scenario is a berth in the Playoff:

CFP. After winning 11 games in coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season, the Huskies have every right to dream about the playoff. With one of the nation’s best quarterbacks (Michael Penix Jr.) returning, alongside arguably the best trio of receivers in the country, Washington has the foundation to be one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Huskies play four preseason-ranked teams in a six-week stretch starting mid-October, which provides some obvious stumbling blocks that also serve as potential résumé enhancers.

But Bonagura also wrote the schedule could make for a volatile season. When it comes to UW’s worst-case scenario, he sees a 6-6 record as a possibility:

If there is reason to be skeptical of the Huskies, it’s that during their 11-win season a year ago, they missed the Pac-12’s two best teams, Utah and USC. Maybe that was bad luck and took away their chances to knock both from the conference title game or maybe it boosted UW’s year-end record. There’s no way to know. And with all the offseason player movement, these sorts of preseason prognostications are even more guesswork than they had been in previous years. No chance UW misses a bowl, but everything else is plausible.

The Huskies open against a good Boise State team. They have road games against Michigan State, USC, and Oregon State. They play Utah and Oregon at home. It’s hard to know what to make of Arizona State in Kenny Dillingham’s first year. And the Apple Cup will be particularly emotional this fall given the events of the summer.

One thing’s certain: it will be an entertaining season in Seattle.