Washington Vs. Washington State: An Apple Cup Win For The Huskies Bails The Pac-10 Out

There’s nothing but pride at stake for Washington State in today’s Apple Cup, but Washington could lock up a bowl berth with a win. And for that reason, the Pac-10 is probably rooting for a U-Dub triumph.

The Huskies enter this game 5-6, and would get to the six-win and .500 plateaus necessary for bowl eligibility by claiming the Apple Cup. That would give the Pac-10 four teams with established bowl eligibility (Oregon, Stanford, Arizona, and Washington), and it might spare the conference from dealing with the repercussions and ridicule that fielding just three bowl eligible squads might bring.

Though the Pac-10 has six bowl tie-ins, the Maaco and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowls have paltry payouts — combined, neither matches what the Holiday and Sun Bowl offer. And though the Pac-10 is almost guaranteed to have two BCS bowl teams, earning two massive shares of BCS riches, every dollar counts: losing the Sun Bowl’s $1.9 million payout would be a big blow.

Having a bowl-eligible Washington might also quiet some of the whining that will flare up about Arizona State petitioning for bowl eligibility despite claiming two of its six wins against non-FBS schools.

That’s not to say that conspiracy theorists in Pullman should be looking for evidence of pro-Washington bias in the Apple Cup. But it’s probably a reason Wazzu fans might cite for a U-Dub victory, should it happen — and a nice point of pride should the Cougars pull an upset.