Washington closes the regular season on the road in Eugene, and depending on how the standings shake out, this could be the game that decides who's still playing in December.
Bush’s Picks
WASHORE
WASHORE
OverUnder
Best BetOregon
Oregon brings back its entire starting front seven and a quarterback who chose to stay in college instead of entering the draft — that's the profile of a team that should be favored at home in almost any matchup. Washington's rebuilt offensive line is the variable that could keep this competitive, but until that group proves it can hold up against a defensive front this talented, the value sits with the Ducks.
Washington
+Demond Williams Jr. retained, offense averaged 34.1 ppg
+Rebuilt OL added two experienced portal starters
−Four new starters up front, chemistry unproven
−Road trip into Oregon's best home crowd
Oregon
+Dante Moore skipped the draft to return
+Entire starting D-line and front seven back
−Kicker and punter both new after graduation losses
−CB room talented but largely untested
This one's a rematch of a rivalry that used to define the old Pac-12, and now it's just another data point in the Big Ten's crowded West Coast wing. Dante Moore is back under center for Oregon after passing on the NFL Draft, and he'll be lined up across from a Washington team that made the opposite bet in the portal — retaining Demond Williams Jr. and adding Stanford transfer Elijah Brown behind him. Both programs enter the year believing their quarterback situation is settled; how each holds up by late November is the whole story.
Washington's calling card last season was scoring points in bunches — the Huskies put up 34.1 per game, 17th-most in the FBS, en route to a 9-4 finish and a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play. Jedd Fisch rebuilt the offensive line through the portal, bringing in Kansas State's Carver Willis and Oklahoma's Geirean Hatchett to start alongside four other returning starters, with five-star freshman Kodi Greene pushing for reps at left tackle. Getting that group to gel on the road against Oregon's front is the whole ballgame.
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WASH Washington
ORE Oregon
Oregon's answer to all of it might be the best defensive front in the country. Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington anchor the interior, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti bookend the edges, and Jerry Mixon comes off a breakout year at inside linebacker. That's the group Washington's rebuilt line has to deal with in front of a home crowd that's had all season to see this game circled.
Washington Huskies
Nov 20?vs Indiana—
Nov 13?@ Michigan State—
Nov 6?vs Penn State—
Oct 30?@ Nebraska—
Oct 16?@ Purdue—
Oct 9?vs Iowa—
Oct 2?@ USC—
Sep 25?vs Minnesota—
Sep 19?vs Eastern Washington—
Sep 12?vs Utah State—
Sep 6?vs Washington State—
Oregon Ducks
Nov 20?@ Michigan State—
Nov 13?vs Michigan—
Nov 6?@ Ohio State—
Oct 30?vs Northwestern—
Oct 16?vs Nebraska—
Oct 9?vs UCLA—
Sep 25?@ USC—
Sep 18?vs Portland State—
Sep 12?@ Oklahoma State—
Sep 5?vs Boise State—
Recent form.
Oregon's skill-position depth is arguably deeper than Washington's, too. Running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. combined for 1,323 rushing yards as backups a year ago and now take over as the feature duo, while Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan step into bigger receiver roles alongside UAB transfer Iverson Hooks. Evan Stewart, back from a season lost to a knee injury, is the wildcard who could tip the receiving corps from good to dangerous if he's fully healthy by late November.
Washington Huskies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Oregon Ducks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The one soft spot for Oregon is special teams — the Ducks lost both their kicker and punter and could be trotting out an entirely new group by the time this one kicks off. It's a small crack in an otherwise loaded roster, and in a game this close to the finish line, a shaky kicking game is exactly the kind of thing that turns a comfortable win into a sweaty one.
