The objective over the next 12 days is clear: The Huskies must win their final two regular-season games to guarantee themselves a bowl bid.
That postseason goal is an important one, Washington coach Chris Petersen has said, in large part because it will give his young team 15 additional practices — additional time to work together, to learn together.
What also became clear Saturday, in the wake of their stunning meltdown at Arizona State, is that the Huskies (4-6, 2-5 Pac-12) still need that time to figure out how to win together, how to finish together. They looked the part of a contender while racing out to a 17-0 second-quarter lead against ASU; then in the fourth quarter they looked the part of slow-developing rebuilding project en route to the 27-17 loss.