Washington has plenty to be excited about heading to 2016.

Most expected 2015 to be a rebuilding year for the Huskies. They were, after all, breaking in a new quarterback and replacing a slew of defensive stars who had departed for the NFL Draft.

The campaign ended up following that precise script: Washington struggled early, but true freshman quarterback Jake Browning clearly grew more confident as the season progressed. The new-look defense came along quicker than outsiders predicted -- they finished as the Pac-12's best unit, allowing only 17.8 points per game. Final record: 6-6 with a postseason berth on its way.

The Huskies' grand finale was a 45-10 whipping of rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. Chris Petersen's squad held the nation's top-ranked passing offense (playing with its backup quarterback) to a season-low 10 points. Washington rolled up 240 passing yards and 203 rushing yards against a Cougar defense that had played steady football throughout the year.

In his Husky football report card, the Seattle Times' Adam Jude delves into this team's 2015 development. He points out that Washington "led the Pac-12 in scoring defense, total defense, yards per play, and red-zone defense."

That's a winning formula, especially considering the fact that Browning developed well on the other side along with fellow true freshman running back Myles Gaskin. Combine that with increasing stability along the offensive line -- Jude points out that the Huskies averaged 4.4 yards per rush in the second half of the season as opposed to only 3.9 per carry in the first half -- and there's real reason to believe that Washington can be an offensive force in 2016.

Not surprisingly, Jude saves his highest grade for the Huskies' secondary. That's an electric unit to watch in person, and the core of Sidney Jones, Darren Gardenhire, and Budda Baker will be fun to track moving forward.

Washington is a team that should truly benefit from the bowl eligibility it attained with that sixth win last weekend -- and extra few weeks of practice for a squad on the upswing can help it milk the most out of a productive building season.