Washington and Arizona Face Off

Washington’s Two Largest Universities Head to Arizona

This weekend the University of Washington travels to face the University of Arizona and Washington State heads south to take on Arizona State. The state of Washington’s two premier programs have been quite solid the past few years—this week marks the first time since 2015 that both have been unranked. Washington is 4-2, but dropped out of the rankings after losing to Stanford last weekend. Washington State is 3-2 after losing their last two games against UCLA and Utah. The defeat versus UCLA will live on in college football infamy. Washington State was up 49-17 in the third quarter, but lost 67-63 in a stunning UCLA comeback that saw 1,377 combined yards and a quarterback—Washington State’s Anthony Gordon—who threw for nine touchdowns and still lost. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys resigned two weeks later.

Washington State began play in 1894 and has accumulated over 550 victories and four conference titles—in 1917, 1930, 1997 and 2002. The program has produced some notable signal-callers, including #1 overall NFL Draft pick Drew Bledsoe, #2 overall pick—and infamous draft bust—Ryan Leaf and current NFL starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Washington has the edge on program accolades, however, with over 730 victories since 1889, including 17 conference championships, seven Rose Bowls and two national titles. The Huskies hold the second longest win streak in FBS history, after Oklahoma, winning 40 straight from 1908 to 1914. They also hold the longest unbeaten streak, a record 64 games from 1907-1917 (they tied four times in this stretch).

Arizona State is #18, with a 4-1 record, with crucial wins against #18 Michigan State and #15 Cal. They have amassed over 600 victories and 17 conference titles since 1897. Currently coached by former NFL head coach Herm Edwards, the program produced seven-time NFL Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs and Pat Tillman, who was killed in combat after leaving the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army following 9/11. Arizona is also 4-1 and sitting in first place in the Pac-12 South. They have over 600 victories and six conference titles since their first season in 1899.

Washington and Arizona have both experienced rapid economic growth in recent years. Washington’s first quarter real GDP growth of 4.7% year-over-year was the fourth highest among all the states, trailing only North Dakota, West Virginia and Texas, all in the energy patch. Arizona was not far behind, with real GDP growing 4.3%, the seventh highest rate.

Seattle Leading Washington Forward

Washington’s economy has boomed for much of this cycle, but has endured some turbulence recently from the trade war. Exports to China, which include lots of commercial airliners, were equivalent to roughly 21% of state GDP in 2018. The BEA methodology likely overstates the exposure of states with large port complexes that export goods produced elsewhere, but the Port of Seattle nevertheless supports an array of logistics and distribution jobs across the state. Since the Great Recession, Washington’s economy overall has been incredibly strong, expanding almost 40% on a real basis since 2010.

Much of Washington’s growth has been concentrated in Seattle, which is home to the University of Washington. The Seattle metro area is home to just over half of Washington’s population and tends to account for the bulk of the state’s growth. Home to corporate behemoths such as Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks, as well as the largest production base for Boeing, Seattle’s rapid growth has pushed into the central part of the state, as businesses and individuals seek less expensive and less congested locations. Seattle’s growth has reverberated throughout many of the Pacific Northwest’s mid-sized cities, including Spokane, Boise, Reno, Coeur d'Alene and Missoula.

The University of Washington has almost 50,000 students, and received over $1.3 billion in research funding in 2018. Since 1972, it has received more federal research funding than any other public university, with major achievements in physics, medicine and computer science to show for it. Close ties to Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft—Bill Gates and Paul Allen spent some time working in the university’s computer labs—have certainly benefited the university and the greater Seattle business community. Husky Stadium overlooks Lake Washington, and many fans will “sailgate” on the water before or during the game. It is also one of the loudest stadiums in college football. Its open end zones and metal roofs trap sound, similar to the Seattle Seahawks stadium, and a reading of 133.6 decibels was once recorded at a 1992 night game against Nebraska, which reportedly is the highest ever recorded at a college football game. Slightly more dubious is the claim that “the Wave” was invented at Husky Stadium, but it was certainly popularized there.

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