Washington’s fortunes flipped fast once the program was able to lure Kalen DeBoer from Fresno State to Montlake. The veteran coach had won everywhere he’d been, and produced elite offenses everywhere he’d been.

Sometimes schools talk themselves out of winning coaches because their winning was done at a lower level and they worry how it’ll translate. Washington had no such reservations. And the belief in DeBoer has led to immediate results. Washington lost eight games last year. With two to play still, UW already has as many wins.

They’re one of the most improved teams in all of college football, ESPN’s Bill Connelly claimed this week.

Here’s what he wrote on the Huskies:

My line has been the same every time someone has hired Kalen DeBoer in recent years: It’s generally a pretty good idea to hire a coach who has been awesome at every job he has had. From NAIA national title winner to Indiana offensive coordinator to Fresno State head coach, DeBoer has basically been that. It was fair to assume he would make Washington respectable sooner than later, but this has been Mach speed.

Washington’s rebound story is a modern one: After collapsing to 120th in offensive SP+, the Huskies have surged all the way to 16th thanks to a transfer quarterback (Michael Penix Jr.) handing to a transfer running back (Wayne Taulapapa) and throwing to a transfer receiver (Ja’Lynn Polk, who arrived at Washington last year) and a couple of high-upside sophomores (Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan). The Huskies topped 30 points twice last season; they’ve done it in eight of 10 games this year. On Saturday at Oregon, Penix outdueled Heisman sleeper Bo Nix, throwing for 408 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 37-34 win.

UW has improved 16.1 points in Connelly’s SP+ model year-over-year. The Huskies closed the 2021 season ranked 84th in SP+. After beating Oregon in Eugene last weekend, UW currently sits at 23rd.

It’ll look to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive this weekend against Colorado. UW needs help to reach the championship game, but if it can handle business over the last two weeks, the Huskies will reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2018.

Kickoff against the Buffs is set for 6 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.