What Washington Head Coach Chris Petersen Said About Facing Alabama in CFB Playoff

The College Football Playoff field was finalized on Sunday and Pac-12 champion Washington will be headed across the country to face Alabama in Atlanta.

Huskies head coach Chris Petersen held a press conference on Sunday afternoon to talk about the matchup with the top-ranked Crimson Tide.

"Everybody knows about Alabama," Petersen said. "It's not just one year, it's every year. And how dominant they are. We'll prepare hard. Fortunately, the Seahawks are here in town. Maybe they'll scrimmage us to get us ready for those guys."

Washington will be a significant underdog in the first of two playoff semifinals, but Petersen is excited to have his team playing for a championship only three years after taking over the program.

"I know how hard it is to get where we are in terms of how well you've got to play, and our kids of played really, really well. You've gotta have luck along the way, you've got to have a lot of things, the ball bounce your way. We're just really thankful and grateful for this opportunity."

The Huskies only lost one regular season game - against USC - and claimed the school's first conference championship since 2000, but there were still football analysts that were questioning the team's credentials into the College Football Playoff. Petersen addressed the criticism directed towards Washington's non-conference schedule that ranked 127th out of 128 FBS teams.

"Everybody wants to criticize strength of schedule and stuff. That schedule was made long before I ever got here for sure. I think everybody is trying to schedule well and then programs and teams change. Some good, some not so good. And so it's very hard to get the proper balance."

The Huskies will face their toughest opponent of the season in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31. The Crimson Tide will carry a 25-game winning streak into the playoff.