I’m happy for our neighbors to the north. I know many Oregon fans have unofficially dubbed the past few days the beginning of “I Hate Washington” week. But let’s be real — the Huskies have and should serve as admirable rivals to the Ducks. Washington leads the all-time series versus Oregon 58-40-5 and the two Pacific Northwestern foes have constantly battled during a bitter past stocked with competitive, memorable contests and contemptuous fan bases.@@http://www.athlonsports.com/columns/national-notebook/pac-12s-best-games-second-half-0@@
However, if you’re under the age of 22, you probably don’t know much about the matchup, or really care a great amount about this weekend’s game. Maybe your heart pumps a little faster every time Autzen Stadium shows a video of “The Pick” before a guaranteed sellout crowd. But in the end, the combination of purple and gold probably brings to mind memories of LSU, not UW. In fact, the Huskies are so downtrodden in the eyes of Ducks fans that large groupings of Oregon faithful have recently spawned a plethora of arrogant tweets about the Huskies. (Check out a number of relatively entertaining comments marked with the hashtag #LastTimeUWBeatUO. Supwitchugirl’s response: You were worrying about who you were going to put in your Top 8 on MySpace.)@@quotes?@@
On the one hand, it’s extremely agitating to see Oregon fans play down their adversaries. It seems overbearing and presumptuous to taunt a team that’s 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference. Washington was ranked in national polls as recently as Oct. 23 and sophomore quarterback Keith Price is tied for first in the conference with 23 touchdown passes. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine why current students and a younger generation of fans would be genuinely roused for the trip to Seattle on Saturday.@@http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/264/washington-huskies@@ @@http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/price_keith00.html@@ @@http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
After all, Oregon has won its last seven matchups against Washington. And although the Ducks have had their ups and downs since 2003 — coaching changes, season-altering suspensions, BCS berths  and NCAA allegations — one thing has been a constant: domination against the Huskies. The Ducks have won all seven games in the streak by 20 or more points.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3383&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205326166&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Oregon fans weren’t the only people in the country laughing about Washington football a short while ago. In 2008 Washington was the only winless team in the country with a record of 0-12 (0-9 Pac-10). They achieved the distinction of being the only 12-loss team in the history of the Pac-10, even with the services of local hero (and future NFL first-round pick) Jake Locker for the first four games. To put it lightly, they were a bit incompetent.@@http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/teamcume.html#TEAM.TEM@@
This Saturday, things will be different. I’m aware Washington was thoroughly dismantled by Stanford two weeks ago. Yet the Huskies have proven their worth this season by displaying a balanced offensive attack that’s hanging more than 35 points per game on opponents in an intriguing fashion. Admittedly, Washington’s defensive numbers against the pass are horrible. And this weekend, Oregon fans can expect Darron Thomas and LaMichael James to re-establish themselves as the focal points of the offense. But we all know where Chip Kelly’s squad makes its bread and butter: in the rushing game. As a result, the team’s three-pronged running attack (featuring James, Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas) will serve as its top weapon as the Ducks look to put the game out of reach early on. And Washington has an impressive rushing defense that seems up to the task of containing that slippery trio.
If you’re wondering about the possibility of Bryan Bennett wondrously surpassing Darron Thomas in the mind of Chip Kelly, try sitting a little further back from the TV next game. Thomas — Oregon’s second-year starter — is ranked seventh nationally in passing-efficiency and has 18 touchdowns (against only five interceptions) on the year. He’s also thrown at least one touchdown pass in 20 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the country behind the NCAA’s favorite transfer student, Wisconsin’s stud QB Russell Wilson.@@http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wilson_russell00.html@@ @@http://www.scribd.com/doc/71212412/Oregon-Notes@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205266631@@
Playing Washington isn’t an exceedingly terrifying reality for Oregon fans. The game likely won’t be the highlight of the Ducks’ season. But Oregon fans — and players — shouldn’t treat it as a warm-up. Oregon’s performance against Washington will be a clear-cut indicator of the team’s status heading into a season-defining matchup with Stanford on Nov. 12. And that game, Oregon fans, should currently be at the top of your minds for a myriad of reasons.
Eugene shouldn’t rest too easy over the next few days. Streaks, after all, have a habit of snapping eventually. To compound things, Saturday marks Senior Night for the Huskies, as well as the last game in the history of the current Husky Stadium before it undergoes renovations. Oregon’s first away game at the 92-year-old venue was in 1922 and resulted in a 3-3 tie. Let’s just hope this weekend proves to be more informative for both sides.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3383&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205326166&DB_OEM_ID=500@@