On Saturday, the No. 7 Washington Huskies will take on the No. 8 Oregon Ducks in a showdown that could determine who wins the Pac-12.
Pretty soon, however, that will be a Big Ten showdown, as strange as that may sound.
ESPN College GameDay will be on hand for the UW-UO game and co-host Desmond Howard shared his honest thoughts on what it’ll mean for these two college football teams to leave the Pac-12 and compete against the powerhouses of the Big Ten Conference.
“A lot of eyes will be on [Washington and Oregon], but the Big Ten is a completely different conference than the Pac-12,” Howard told reporters Friday. “When you’re going up against Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, that’s a whole different monster than these teams you’re playing out here in the Pac-12.”
It’s harsh but probably fair, especially when you’re talking about recruiting. The Huskies and Ducks have their work cut out for them competing for five-star recruits with the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Ryan Day, and James Franklin, all of whom already have inroads in the middle of the country.
Howard added that this Saturday’s game will be a great chance for Washington and Oregon to really showcase themselves to the nation.
“I think people are kind of aware of Oregon because obviously when they play Colorado and all the hype with Colorado, then everyone’s focused on that game,” said Howard. “But I don’t think people are really focused that much on Washington and what they bring to college football this season. So this is obviously an eye-opener for the country who may not have been really checking out Washington. ‘Well, let me look at this Huskies team and just see what they got to bring to the table.’ It’s going to be a big stage for them to show the college football world who they are and what they’re about.”
