It’s hard to imagine any Pacific-10 Conference football game this weekend being nearly as important as Oregon’s Civil War.
However, looking toward the cold, snowy city of Pullman, Wash., such a game does exist.
Washington and Washington State prepare for the 92nd edition of the Apple Cup, which starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Martin Stadium. Just like the Civil War, this intrastate matchup has Rose Bowl implications.
If Oregon State beats the Ducks in Corvallis Saturday afternoon, then the Huskies clinch a Rose Bowl appearance if they beat the Cougars.
“Our focus has got to be on this Saturday,” Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel said. “I just don’t want us thinking about anything other than the Cougars.”
To make circumstances even more interesting, the Huskies were ranked fifth in Monday’s Bowl Championship Series standings behind Oklahoma, Miami, Florida State and Florida. Considering that Florida and Florida State face each other this Saturday, Washington has a mathematical chance of playing for the national title at the Orange Bowl in Miami — if it beats the Cougars.
“If we can win this Saturday, it will be interesting to watch,” Neuheisel said. “We’re excited about where we sit.”

Meanwhile…
Southern California, picked to win the Pac-10 title before the start of the season, plays UCLA at the Rose Bowl Saturday in a typically meaningful matchup.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, this weekend’s game will be the closest they get to the Rose Bowl this season — or any bowl game, for that matter. USC is last in the conference standings with a 1-6 Pac-10 record.
The Apple Cup may be of importance to USC. If the Trojans win and Washington State loses, then USC won’t be dead last in the conference standings at the season’s end. Southern California can also avoid sole possession of last place if it wins and either Arizona State or California loses.
Regardless, USC coach Paul Hackett looks forward to Saturday’s game.
“It is very easy to get distracted right now with the kind of year we’ve had,” Hackett said. “We’ll have the bell out at practice and we’ll do our best to focus on this week.”