SEATTLE — Quite unintentionally, Washington’s most prolific playmaker explained in the clearest possible terms what kind of challenge his team faces in the College Football Playoff semifinals and why so many people have dismissed the Huskies’ chances against Alabama.

Asked if Nick Saban had ever called on him during the recruiting process four years ago, Washington receiver John Ross sheepishly acknowledged that his three-star status wasn’t enough to get the attention of college football’s preeminent program.

“I don’t think they recruit skinny kids from Southern California,” Ross said.

Though Ross has blossomed into one of the country’s most electric skill players and an 1,100-yard receiver for an elite team, his quip about Alabama overlooking him underscores a basic truth about Washington and its chances of advancing to the national championship game.

The Huskies have not faced a roster like Alabama’s with the physical size and depth and overall skill level that suffocated opponent after opponent in the Southeastern Conference this year. And, in fact, the only time they played a team that can even approximate Alabama’s talent level, the Huskies were flat and ineffective in a 26-13 loss to Southern California on Nov. 12.

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It was the only blemish on Washington’s otherwise terrific 12-1 season. But given the parallels between that game with the one it will play on Dec. 31 in the Georgia Dome, it’s unquestionably the biggest driver of doubt about how the Huskies will stack up athletically with the defending national champions.

“Good luck counting us out because Alabama is human,” Ross said. “Those guys bleed just like we do, and we’re a good football team. I love it. I’ve always been an underdog my whole life. Me and my team don’t get the respect we deserve, but it’s not about that, it's about us, and we’ll continue to work hard every day.”

For those who have followed Alabama’s run to four of the last seven national titles, opponent after opponent has recited a similar script, usually with disastrous results. It’s a rare occasion indeed when Alabama’s talent advantage doesn’t show up on game day, and those who have either beaten Nick Saban’s team in a playoff scenario (Ohio State in 2014) or come close (Clemson in 2015) have recruited similar athletes, albeit not as many.

Though there’s no doubt Washington has multiple players who could start for Alabama and will be successful in the NFL, especially on the defense, the Huskies simply haven’t recruited the same caliber of athletes. It’s also worth noting that just a year ago, on the same day Alabama arrived in Dallas to get ready for the Cotton Bowl, Washington was wrapping up a 7-6 season with a victory against Southern Miss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl

In other words, there’s a reason Las Vegas has made Alabama a two-touchdown favorite.

“I think somebody Tweeted me and said I’m a UW fan, and I’m going to root for you guys but when it comes to game time, we know what’s going to happen,” linebacker Keishawn Bierria said. “I’m like, you’re not really a fan. We’re competitors. The only thing we’re focused on is competing, and we want to play against the best.”

Though Alabama tore through what was perceived to be a down SEC this season, its lengthy track record makes it practically impossible to question the quality of its 13-0 record. With the Huskies, however, those questions existed up until the moment the College Football Playoff selection committee chose them as the No. 4 seed over Big Ten champion Penn State.

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Washington blew out 10 of the 13 teams it faced, but it played a poor non-conference schedule and had just two truly notable wins by the end of the season: 44-6 against No. 16 Stanford in late September and 41-10 against No. 11 Colorado in the Pac 12 title game. And when the Huskies faced USC, a team filled with five-star recruits, their offense was limited to 276 yards in a game the Trojans blew open in the fourth quarter before winning 26-13.

Was that a true indicator for how the Huskies will match up with the likes of Alabama, or was it simply the first moment of adversity for a team that needed its weaknesses to be exposed on a big stage like that in order to get ready for a playoff run?

“I just think you get better throughout the year, and you learn from games like that,” Ross said. “We didn’t play good against USC. I don’t think they completely beat us. We didn’t do good as an offense, and (quarterback Jake Browning) knows he didn’t have his best game, our O-line, our whole unit, even me. I didn’t have my best game. We cleaned some things up, and we’re a better football team. It’s not good to lose, but you learn from everything. I think we learned a lot from that game.”

Ironically, one of the positions where Washington does have a player recruited by Alabama is at quarterback. Browning committed to the Huskies in March of 2014, but not before a phone call from Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban where they offered him a scholarship.

Browning downplayed that conversation, saying he was already in the mindset to play at Washington when Alabama got involved and that the flirtation didn’t go anywhere meaningful. Browning’s decision has been a good one for him, as he started last season as a freshman and grew up tremendously this year, finishing with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But like the rest of Washington’s team, he was less impressive against the best defenses he faced, accounting for 259 passing yards and two interceptions against USC and just 118 yards against Colorado on 9-for-24 completions. If he plays well and can complete some deep passes — arguably the biggest relative weakness for Alabama’s defense — that would seem to be the most likely recipe for an upset.

“We’re looking for advantages no matter who we’re playing,” Browning said. “I don’t think we’re a team that’s to come out and throw the ball every play or run the ball every play so stay balanced, do our thing. They’re good, but you can’t let a good team get you away from what got you there so we’re going to do our deal.

And that deal could include some surprises based on coach Chris Petersen’s history of big upsets when he was Boise State’s coach. This, however, is the biggest challenge yet both for him as a coach and a group of players who are very new to the national scene and obvious underdogs in this kind of game.

“They’re far and away the best team we’ve seen all season,” right tackle Kaleb McGary said. “Everyone says they're too big and strong and they’ll overpower us. I think we match up just fine. I trust the guys next to me just as much as anyone. They’ll get their job done, I just have to do mine.”

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