Is Washington-Oregon even a rivalry anymore? Oregon’s decade-long winning streak over the Huskies has Duck fans asking the question, but new Washington head coach Chris Petersen and a talented defense could make them eat their words.
How to watch Washington-Oregon: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Can No. 8 Oregon stay on the CFB Playoff track, or will Chris Petersen grab his first marquee win with the Huskies?
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Huskies opened the season with four straight victories. None of them were all that impressive—a 44-19 win over Illinois was as close as it came—and two were concerning (wins by a combined eight points over Hawaii and Eastern Washington). Washington’s first loss of the season came next, a 20-13 defeat to Stanford, and may be one of the Huskies’ more impressive performances of the season. They were able to put together a quality performance last time out as well, defeating Cal, 31-7.
Many wrote off Oregon after the Ducks' 31-24 loss to Arizona (their second straight loss to the Wildcats), but they responded resoundingly with a 42-30 win at UCLA. That's their second big victory of the season, along with a 46-27 trouncing of Michigan State, and they have one of the nation's Heisman frontrunners in quarterback Marcus Mariota. Oregon will also be wearing throwback jerseys, taunting the Huskies with a reminder of 1994's "The Pick."
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 8 p.m. ET.
TV: Fox Sports 1.
Online streaming: FoxSportsGo.
Our sites on these teams
The numbers
Rankings and records: Oregon is ranked No. 9 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Washington is not ranked in either poll. Both teams are 5-1 -- the Ducks have a 2-1 record in conference play, and the Huskies are 1-1 against Pac-12 competition. Washington holds a 58-43-5 all-time lead in the series, but Oregon has won the last 10 games between the two schools.
Vegas: Oregon opened as a 19-point favorite. The line has since moved to 20.5, with an over/under of 64.5.
Weather forecast: High of 74, mostly sunny.
Two things at stake
A one-score loss to Stanford is Washington’s only blemish this season. A win here would boost the Huskies’ stock significantly.
Oregon appeared to bounce back after its loss to Arizona with the UCLA win, but the Ducks will need to continue to play well to get back in the Playoff picture.
One big matchup
Oregon rushing offense vs. Washington rushing defense. The Ducks are averaging a conference-high 217.2 yards per game on the ground, gaining 5.5 yards per carry with 16 rushing touchdowns. Mariota is the nation's premier dual-threat quarterback, and Royce Freeman (85 carries, 467 yards, seven touchdowns), Thomas Tyner (63 carries, 279 yards) and Byron Marshall (25 carries, 219 yards) give Oregon a variety of options at running back.
The Huskies are holding opponents to 3.1 yards per carry this season, giving up just three rushing touchdowns -- one each to Hawaii, Stanford and Cal. The Warriors and Cardinal are the only two teams to surpass 100 yards rushing against Washington, as well as the only two to gain more than 3.0 yards per carry. Washington has two of the best front-seven players in the conference in Hau'oli Kikaha (13 tackles for a loss) and Danny Shelton (10), and they'll need to be active Saturday.
Further reading
For full coverage of Oregon, head to Addicted to Quack. For more on Washington, check out UW Dawg Pound.
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