[washingtonismoney]

I think it's a when and not an if that Chip Kelley heads for the pros.  Flirted with them earlier this year.  If there is an NC in his future,  this is the closest he might come.    If a Kelley departure happens,  bet on Washington to assume it's accustomed place in the Pac-12 North.  UDub has everything for a successful program:  fan base, (now) remodeled stadium, talent base,  the love of the masses, a decent recruiting footprint, a university president who won't be distracted by academics or political correctness.  What UDub hasn't had is consistent coaching...or even good coaching a while back (grin).  As far as I can tell, Sarkisian is the pick of the the team Under Stanford Control coach incubating litter.  Not an asshole.  Understands the politics.  Smart. (Smart enough to pick the good bits off of the UC system's highest paid employee's coaching carcass.)  Good recruiter with something good to sell without too much lying.

My prediction:  Oregon gradually regresses to the mean,  UDub continues to rise... and Stanford contends but never becomes like the UDub of old.

I would agree Kelly leaves--one step ahead of the posse, in Carrollian fashion.

I don't necessarily see UW ascending to fill the void, though. Like you say, Sark has many good qualities, and even a few you didn't list--good developer of QBs and a good eye for skill players on offense, to name two.

The trouble for Sarkisian and UW is this: their strengths (passionate, large fanbase) are also a weakness (the outsized, unreasonable demands of same.) Sarkisian's starting to hear questions, and UW seems to be headed for another average year at best. Just a guess, but if that scenario comes to pass, you'll start to hear even more questions at the end of the year. That's a problem for Sarkisian, because the staff he's got looks much better positioned now. But they'll need time to turn it around--time he might not get. And if he doesn't get it, well, it's back to square one for UW, and hoping they get lucky and hire the right, available guy. Schools don't give coaches time like they used to, which is a problem for guys like Sarkisian, who made one big mistake (hiring Nick Holt) that set him back for years.

The other problem is the talent base in Washington. It's a decent one; they produce a fair number of good players every year. If a coach could lock the state down, he'd have a solid base for every recruiting class every year. The trouble is that Washington's players seem to have very little motivation to stick at home. With the troubles his offensive line is having, I'd love to hear Sarkisian's honest and unexpurgated opinions on the class of 2012 in Washington, which featured not one but two highly-rated offensive linemen who were the sons of former Huskies...and, of course, neither of whom decided to be Huskies themselves. (Hi Josh Garnett!) That's a common problem, and until Sarkisian figures out how to lock down the state, they won't have enough raw talent to compete. They're already well behind 59ers, Stanford, UCLA, Oregon and SC.

[washingtonismoney]

I think it's a when and not an if that Chip Kelley heads for the pros.  Flirted with them earlier this year.  If there is an NC in his future,  this is the closest he might come.    If a Kelley departure happens,  bet on Washington to assume it's accustomed place in the Pac-12 North.  UDub has everything for a successful program:  fan base, (now) remodeled stadium, talent base,  the love of the masses, a decent recruiting footprint, a university president who won't be distracted by academics or political correctness.  What UDub hasn't had is consistent coaching...or even good coaching a while back (grin).  As far as I can tell, Sarkisian is the pick of the the team Under Stanford Control coach incubating litter.  Not an asshole.  Understands the politics.  Smart. (Smart enough to pick the good bits off of the UC system's highest paid employee's coaching carcass.)  Good recruiter with something good to sell without too much lying.

My prediction:  Oregon gradually regresses to the mean,  UDub continues to rise... and Stanford contends but never becomes like the UDub of old.

I would agree Kelly leaves--one step ahead of the posse, in Carrollian fashion.

I don't necessarily see UW ascending to fill the void, though. Like you say, Sark has many good qualities, and even a few you didn't list--good developer of QBs and a good eye for skill players on offense, to name two.

The trouble for Sarkisian and UW is this: their strengths (passionate, large fanbase) are also a weakness (the outsized, unreasonable demands of same.) Sarkisian's starting to hear questions, and UW seems to be headed for another average year at best. Just a guess, but if that scenario comes to pass, you'll start to hear even more questions at the end of the year. That's a problem for Sarkisian, because the staff he's got looks much better positioned now. But they'll need time to turn it around--time he might not get. And if he doesn't get it, well, it's back to square one for UW, and hoping they get lucky and hire the right, available guy. Schools don't give coaches time like they used to, which is a problem for guys like Sarkisian, who made one big mistake (hiring Nick Holt) that set him back for years.

The other problem is the talent base in Washington. It's a decent one; they produce a fair number of good players every year. If a coach could lock the state down, he'd have a solid base for every recruiting class every year. The trouble is that Washington's players seem to have very little motivation to stick at home. With the troubles his offensive line is having, I'd love to hear Sarkisian's honest and unexpurgated opinions on the class of 2012 in Washington, which featured not one but two highly-rated offensive linemen who were the sons of former Huskies...and, of course, neither of whom decided to be Huskies themselves. (Hi Josh Garnett!) That's a common problem, and until Sarkisian figures out how to lock down the state, they won't have enough raw talent to compete. They're already well behind 59ers, Stanford, UCLA, Oregon and SC.