There aren’t many “firsts” left when it comes down to the college football series between Oregon and Washington.
But with both teams undefeated at 5-0, we found one.
For the first time in the history of this huge rivalry, both the Ducks and Huskies are ranked in the Top 10 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.
Washington enters Saturday’s matchup ranked No. 6 in the coaches poll and No. 7 in the AP, while the Ducks are No. 8 in both.
Either way, both teams meet while having incredible seasons and, of course, the winner of this game (12:30 pm PT, ABC) will be a serious contender for the College Football Playoff.
They also mirror each other in many ways, including having two transfer quarterbacks who have found incredible success in their respective new homes.
Bo Nix was good at Auburn, but never tapped into his full potential until he arrived at Oregon.
Washington’s Michael Penix, Jr. was the exact same way at Indiana.
He was an average quarterback for an okay team, but as a Husky, Penix has turned into one of the best signal-callers in the country and a Heisman Trophy contender.
Some might even say the current front-runner.
Penix was really good last season in Seattle and he’s having an even better season in 2023.
Through five games, the senior is completing 75 percent of his passes and has 16 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
“I think that happens with experience and time” explained Oregon head coach Dan Lanning when asked about the current success of Penix.
“He’s (Penix) obviously got a great wide receiver corps. They’ve done a really good job schematically and finding ways for him to be able to throw people open and he has great vision down the field.”
“I think he’s also been well-protected. They’re not getting a lot of hits on the quarterback and that’s gonna lead to more completions.”
Oregon’s secondary has to deal with Penix and possibly the best-receiving group in the nation.
Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan are first-round NFL draft picks in waiting. Odunze has 32 catches for 608 yards (122 ypg) and five touchdowns.
McMillian has missed the last two games, but thanks to a bye last week, he has had enough time to get healthy right before playing against the Ducks. In his three games, McMillan has 20 catches, 311 yards (104 ypg) and three touchdowns.
Last, but certainly not least, is receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound sophomore already has 26 catches for 468 yards and four scores.
Oregon’s pass defense has been great this year and has improved significantly, but this will be its toughest test yet and could be its toughest of the season, even tougher than USC.
“It’s extremely unique. A lot of times you’re going into a week and saying, ‘OK, we can’t let this one guy beat us.’ Right? And the reality is for them they have several guys that they can get the ball to, distribute the ball to,” said Lanning.
“Several guys have gone over 100 yards in multiple games this year. So you have to have a focus on all of them.”
A huge key to which team wins could be how well the Duck secondary does against the Huskies passing game.
On the season, Oregon is allowing just 154 yards through the air, but Washington is averaging a whopping 446 yards passing.
Something will certainly give in this statistic.
On the other side of the ball, the Huskies defense allows a total 365 yards a game and just 18 points a game.
Oregon’s offense is prolific but is more balanced.
The Ducks are scoring 51 points a game and 559 yards (227 rushing and 331 passing).
Final Prediction: Oregon 31, Washington 28
DAN LANNING TALKS HUSKIES