Chris Petersen steps down as Washington coach, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to take over

While any speculation about the Arizona Wildcats job was put to bed over the weekend, at least one Pac-12 school will have a new head coach in 2020.

And it’s not one anybody could have expected.

The Washington Huskies announced Monday that Chris Petersen was resigning as head coach, handing the job over to defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. Petersen will transition into an “advisory” role with the Huskies’ athletic department after coaching UW in its bowl game.

Petersen, 55, went 54-26 in six seasons with Washington with two Pac-12 titles and a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2016. Prior to the Huskies he coached Boise State from 2006-13, going 92-12 with five conference titles.

Washington went 7-5 this season, its worst mark under Petersen, and 4-5 in Pac-12 play. That includes a 51-27 win at Arizona in October, improving his record to 4-2 against the Wildcats.

The Petersen news broke not long after a fake account duped much of Twitter into believing Washington State coach Mike Leach had been hired at Ole Miss.

What a day in the Evergreen State.