One reader wrote me he was tied of all the pre-season prognosticating and just wants to get to the real football portion of the season. I feel your pain. But with three weeks left until practices start, prognosticating is about all we have at the moment. And besides, I would think UW fans would like it this season with expectations for UW as high as they've been in a half-decade or so.

Here's one handicapping site that picks UW third in the Pac-10 this season (though seeming confused about the existence of a conference title game). A writer for The Orlando Sentinel, meanwhile, includes UW among Pac-10 teams that could go 8-4 this season in a Monday chat.

That leads me to again consider a question we batted around a little on the live chat we had last week --- when is the last time there was this much excitement over the Huskies? Some might say 2007, when Jake Locker was set to finally make his debut with what was a fairly veteran team overall --- though the way the 2006 season ended, with losses in six of the last seven games and the "Suddenly Senior'' debacle, I think helped defuse it a little.

You probably have to go back to 2002, Rick Neuheisel's last season as coach, when the Huskies were picked by a few to win the conference and almost unanimously in the top three (that was the second year of the Cody Pickett-Reggie Williams offense). That team didn't quite live up to the hype, needing the famed "Northwest Championship'' sweep (that's the Huskies celebtrating on the turf at Oregon's Autzen Stadium after beating the Ducks that year) to avoid the school's first losing season in 26 years and get to a bowl game, finishing 7-6 overall. Still, that was the last winning record for this team, as well, not the worst of all omens.

IN OTHER NEWS. ...

--- RealDawg.com reported today that Chandler, Ariz., QB Brett Hundley plans to take unofficial visits to both UCLA and UW before making a final decision. It's left unclear when the visits will be, so hard to determine what the timeline is for a decision and announcement.

--- ESPN.com's Ted Miller finally gets around to answering his mail and includes some thoughts on where a Pac-10/12 title game may be held.

--- Rivals.com looks at offensive units that must come through this season, including Nebraska's offensive line and BYU's offensive backfield.

--- USA Today with some questions and answers about the college football season (and a mention of Locker).

--- Rivals.com college football writer Tom Dienhart held a live chat today and picked Nebraska to beat the Huskies and also said he doesn't see USC losing more than three or four games.