No. 7 Washington hosts No. 8 Oregon; first top-10 matchup
LEFT: (Photo by Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) RIGHT: (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
SEATTLE - The week after the biggest Big 12 game matched a couple of soon-to-be Southeastern Conference teams, the Pac-12’s marquee matchup is between teams that will be in the Big Ten in 2024.
Maybe new Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti will show up at Husky Stadium in Seattle for No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington on Saturday, similar to the way SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey attended the Red River Rivalry in Dallas.
A case can be made this is the most significant Ducks-Huskies game in the 107-year history of their series. It is the ninth matchup where both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 but it is the first with both in the top 10.
Washington won a thriller last year in Eugene with two late scores after Ducks quarterback Bo Nix injured his foot.
"It can serve as a motivator or it can get you down," Bix told reporters this week. "It’s one I’ve been looking forward to just because of last year and how it ended."
Hard to say the winner takes control of the Pac-12 because the conference is so deep, but it’s a big one for the league, College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
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Nix’s Washington counterpart, Michael Penix Jr., is leading the nation in passing yards at just a under 400 per game.
Ducks-Huskies is clearly the most intriguing game of Week 7. The others are laced with angst, involving one or both teams with fans feeling anxious about where this season is headed.