Oregon comes into this game ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff.
Should the Ducks win out, it’s a strong possibility the College Football Playoff committee will place the Ducks in the Final 4.
But that’s a long way from Saturday.
This weekend there’s a huge rivalry game set at Autzen Stadium as the No. 23 Washington Huskies come calling (Fox, 4 pm) and of course, nothing would make their season more than to derail Oregon’s playoff hopes.
According to Oregon coach Dan Lanning, the Huskies have their full attention.
“No love lost. That’s really clear. There is no love lost in this game. And that’s something that’s exciting,” said Lanning this week.
“It makes games like this fun. You know, I’m getting to talk to some former alumni that have played here. Coach Bellotti, Dan Fouts, guys that I’ve been able to kind of link up with and just communicate with on what this game has been like over time.
“It’s been exciting for me because this game means something to people. I’m excited to see our fans come up and make an impact, but also our players get out there and take care of business.”
In order to ramp up the rivalry, especially for players who haven’t experienced what it’s like to play the Huskies, Oregon’s coaching staff has blared the Washington fight song, “Bow Down to Washington,” during practices.
“I’ve heard way too much of it, all practice,” safety Bennett Williams said on Wednesday, shaking his head with a smile. “Despite many efforts to try and get him to turn it off, he’s just turned it up louder. I’m done hearing that, and hopefully, we don’t hear it at all on Saturday.”
For Williams to get his wish, the Ducks will have to vastly improve that pass defense, which is towards the bottom of the country. Oregon is giving up 277 yards through the air. Unfortunately, Washington’s quarterback, Michael Penix, Jr., is someone that can take advantage of that porous defense. The transfer from Indiana leads the Pac-12 with 359 yards per game. He also has 23 touchdowns to go with just five interceptions.
“The thing that’s consistent with him (Penix) I think is he’s just a really solid player. Playing a guy that’s a lefty, he’s a little bit different from playing a right-handed quarterback but he’s an accurate passer,” Lanning said in a brief scouting report. “He obviously has a lot of confidence in the guys he’s throwing to right now. You see that show consistently on film and he knows how to operate what they’re doing.”
But it seems like all of that goes out the window when a rival comes to Eugene and this will be the first time Penix has been inside Autzen Stadium.
Oregon is a near two-touchdown favorite and with Bo Nix playing at the level he is, the Ducks will not Bow Down to Washington.
Ducks 45, Huskies 23