Phil Steele puts Washington Huskies at No. 25 in his 2026 preseason top tier

Phil Steele’s annual preseason Power Poll gives the Washington Huskies a spot at the back end of the national rankings. In his 2026 preseason list, Washington is ranked No. 25, a placement that reflects both optimism and caution heading into a schedule loaded with top programs. The positioning also continues a broader pattern that Steele sees around Washington, as the Huskies have become a frequent back-half presence when preseason rankings are assembled for the playoff era.

Within the Big Ten, Steele has Washington as the No. 7 team, with a tier of teams ahead: Ohio State (No. 3), Indiana (No. 5), Oregon (No. 6), USC (No. 11), Michigan (No. 15), and Penn State (No. 19). That means Washington’s path to rising from “one of the better teams” to “a serious playoff contender” is largely about how it handles repeated encounters with high-end competition, not about getting through a light opening stretch.

Steele’s case for Washington is anchored on defense and continuity. In the Huskies’ defensive overview, the magazine and accompanying coverage highlight the linebackers as a core: Xe’ree Alexander, Jacob Manu, and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. That group is tied to the coordinator Ryan Walters’ expectation that the unit improves after a full cycle back in the system.

The recent production that Walters is working from, per the reported 2025 defensive results cited in the coverage, includes Washington finishing No. 12 nationally in rushing defense, No. 15 in points per game allowed, and No. 21 in yards per game allowed. The logic in Steele’s broader preseason evaluation is straightforward: if the Huskies can sustain their defensive baseline while the rest of the roster matures, they can turn close games into wins when the schedule forces them to.

Washington’s early and midseason challenge, as outlined in the reporting around Steele’s rankings, includes a road trip to USC in early October, then a closing run that features a home date against the defending national champion Hoosiers and a late-season trip to Oregon. The schedule is not only about top-25 opponents either. The Huskies also host Iowa, ranked No. 26 in Steele’s list, and later close the month with a road test at Nebraska.

For what to watch next, the most important question is whether Washington can translate defensive strengths into consistent performance against the league’s upper tier. Steele’s placement at No. 25 implies that Washington is not far from the conversation, but not yet fully in it. The season’s title picture will hinge on how the Huskies respond to the sequencing of top opponents, particularly when the margin for error shrinks.

The broader caveat with any preseason ranking is that it is an educated snapshot, not a verdict. Rosters change, young units grow at different rates, and early-season health can swing outcomes. Still, Steele’s evaluation sets a clear expectation: Washington is good enough to matter nationally, and the 2026 test is whether it looks like it when the Huskies face multiple conference elites back-to-back.

keyFacts