As soon as you begin to savor the first Husky Pac-12 championship since 2000, you have to turn around and start worrying about their next opponent. You can barely celebrate because the Alabama Crimson Tide are that good. They have been that good, Crimson Tide freshman arrive on campus in Tuscaloosa expecting a National Championship as if it was their birthright. 

Another challenge posed by playing 'Bama in the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl is that the Crimson Tide will essentially have home field advantage. That's because the Peach Bowl is played in Atlanta, which isn't even a three hour drive from the University of Alabama campus. Not to mention the  'Bama fans in and around the ATL aleady, which surely outnumbers the amount of Dawg fans.

Many gave the Huskies flak for their lackluster slate, although with the final rankings they did notch three top-25 wins and stomped then-no. 22 Washington State in the Apple Cup. So 'Bama should pose this elite Husky defense a true litmus test on their defensive prowess.

Although Nick Saban's teams at Alabama may be better known for their defense, (which is ranked no. 1) this year they are hanging over 40 points on their opponents on average, and Chris Petersen's boys are not even allowing half that with a 17.2 points per game allowed average. Therefore the Peach Bowl should pose an interested of two forces coming to a head.

"Experts" and Vegas seem to think that the Crimson Tide is the better team, as they will enter as heavy favorites. 

One storyline that will be kind of interesting will be Steve Sarkisian on the opposite sideline from the Huskies, watching as his sucessor Petersen has taken the program to the heights Sarkisian only promised. After his infamous flameout at USC, Sarkisian no doubt has to be a little salty as he finds himself as a mere offensive analyst on Nick Saban's staff. 

Finally, with the final College Football Playoff rankings published, the Huskies are catching a lot of grief for their weak schedule. However as their route of Colorado proved, the Huskies are a cut above the rest of the country not in the top five or six. They have had a target on their backs all year within the Pac-12, and a part from USC and a fair test from Utah, they have shown that they can handle expectations and rise above the rest. Therefore if anyone outside of the state of Washington wants to know how good this team really is, the only answer is putting them in the playoff.

Image: Flickr/McD22