Rivalry games in any sport are special. They pit familiar foes against each other, with fans from neighboring area codes, elevated stakes, and pride on the line.
Rivalry games in college football are a different beast. When you get hometown fanatics yelling across the fence at one another, competition for trophies like The Golden Egg (Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State), The Little Brown Jug (Michigan vs. Minnesota), or The Bronze Boot (Colorado State vs. Wyoming), it’s clear that emotion is likely to take over. We’ve seen rivalry-fueled bad blood lead to historic trees being killed in Auburn and trimmed hedges in Athens.
Rivalry Week is here in the 2024 college football season, and it’s a special time.
That’s as true as ever for the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies, who will be playing for the 117th time on Saturday. It’s a battle for Northwest supremacy, and while meaningful stakes in the grand scheme of the College Football Playoff race may not be on the line, this 2024 meeting between Ducks and Huskies might carry more emotional weight than any we’ve seen this century.
Despite what Dan Lanning and his players will tell you.
“Ultimately, it is another game,” Lanning said in his press conference on Monday night. “It’s the next game.”
He’s not wrong. But anyone expecting the Oregon head coach to dive into the emotions of this rivalry clearly hasn’t been listening to him speak to the media over the past few years.
What about his players?
“Every week is the next biggest week,” right tackle Ajani Cornelius said on Tuesday. “We’re ready to take on that challenge and do our best to play our best game.”
That’s some elite coach speak from one of the savviest vets on the roster.
What about a former Washington Husky who experienced this rivalry from the other sideline?
“It’s just another game, honestly,” cornerback Jabbar Muhammad said on Tuesday. “I’m just ready to go out there and compete with my bros.”
This will be…
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