Washington couldn’t pull off an upset in Stanford last weekend, but the Huskies were competitive throughout and actually out-gained the Cardinal by a wide margin, looking the part of a top-20 team. Now the Huskies have the unpleasant task of turning right around and taking on Oregon, which presents a whole different set of challenges.
How to watch Oregon vs. Washington 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Here’s everything you need to know in order to follow the game.
Oregon has yet to be even remotely challenged this season, winning its games by an average score of 59.2 to 11.8. The Ducks haven’t seen a team of Washington’s caliber yet -- especially not on the road -- so this will be their first major hurdle in their quest for a conference title and BCS championship game appearance. Will we see any signs of weakness this week?
For Oregon, running back De’Anthony Thomas’s status is unknown.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Oregon comes in at 5-0 (2-0) and ranked No. 2 in the two major polls. Washington is 4-1 (1-1), ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches’ Poll. The Huskies are 51-38-4 against the Ducks all-time, though they’ve lost nine straight in this series.
Vegas: Oregon is a 14-point favorite, while the over/under is at 75.5.
Weather: A high of 55 is anticipated, with a 40 percent chance of rain, though the precipitation is expected to come in the morning.
Three names to know
Marcus Mariota -- He might be the Heisman frontrunner at this point, and it's not difficult to see why. Mariota has yet to throw an interception, and he is averaging 10.1 yards per pass attempt, which ranks ninth nationally. His passer rating also ranks among the nation's top 10, and he can get it done with his feet as well -- he's tied for second on the team with 338 yards rushing.
Keith Price -- Price is in the midst of a fine season himself, with 11 touchdown passes against just three interceptions. He's completing 71.3 percent of his throws and averaging 8.7 yards per attempt.
Bishop Sankey -- The Ducks are well known for their ability to run the ball, but it's Washington running back Bishop Sankey who leads the Pac-12 in rushing yardage this season. He's been a workhorse for UW, toting the ball 35 times or more on two occasions. He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark four times this season, and once surpassed 200 yards.
Two things at stake
Oregon’s national title chances are at stake every week, and so long as the Ducks stay undefeated, they figure to be in line for the BCS national championship game. The deeper into the season we get, the tougher it becomes to recover from a loss and get back into the title picture. The Ducks also need a win here to keep pace with Stanford and Oregon State within the North Division; those two teams are also undefeated in Pac-12 play.
The Huskies can insert themselves back into the North title discussion with an upset over the Ducks, but a second conference loss would almost certainly end their division championship hopes in 2013, particularly with head-to-head tiebreakers going to Stanford and Oregon in that case.
How to witness
TV: Fox Sports 1, 4 p.m. ET
For comprehensive coverage, head over to Oregon blog Addicted To Quack as well as Washington blog UW Dawg Pound.
More from SB Nation college football:
See More:
