Washington lost only once, on the road at Oregon,[1] and won the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day to finish with an 11–1 record.

Fourth-ranked Miami traveled to Seattle the next week and senior QB Marques Tuiasosopo threw for 223 yards and ran for 45 as the Huskies handed the Hurricanes their only loss of the season, 34–29.

[7] In the next five weeks, the Huskies battled back from second half deficits in every game, including a 31–28 win in the rain at Stanford that was marked with tragedy; safety Curtis Williams (1978–2002) was paralyzed after a neck injury late in the third quarter.

[8] For the remainder of the season, players and coaches wore the letters "CW" on helmets and uniforms in honor of him;[9][10] he died from complications less than 19 months later.

[15] On New Year's Day in Pasadena, Tuiasosopo earned Rose Bowl MVP honors as he led fourth-ranked Washington to a 34–24 win over #14 Purdue and Drew Brees;[2][3][4] the Huskies were third in both final polls.