The Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks had arguably the fiercest rivalry in Pac-12 history. Throwing out the record, whenever the two teams meet, there’s no love lost between the players, coaches, or fanbases.
That rivalry came to a head during the 2023 season when the two teams met twice with massive implications on the line both times. In the first, Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies topped Bo Nix and the Ducks in Seattle in a battle of undefeated, top-10 programs.
In the second, the undefeated, No. 3 Huskies beat the one-loss, No. 5 Ducks to earn the Pac-12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Both those matchups did a perfect job displaying to the nation exactly what this rivalry is when it’s at its best.
And as both schools move into the Big Ten, the rivalry should continue to grow in popularity. However, CBS Sports doesn’t seem to understand the magnitude of it…yet.
CBS’ Tom Fornelli released a list of the Big Ten’s top rivalries, including the conference’s four new teams and shockingly, put the Huskies and Ducks at No. 6 on the list.
“The two biggest games of the season in the Pac-12 last year were between these two, but these schools don’t need high stakes to get into this game,” Fornelli said. “They have played 116 times in their history. Only three Big Ten rivalries have been played more often.”
While the game doesn’t reach the Ohio State–Michigan level of rivalry, it definitely deserves to be ranked higher than sixth. The traditions and trophies of No. 2 (Minnesota vs. Wisconsin) and No. 3 (Iowa vs. Minnesota) are fun, they don’t come close to reaching the level of hatred Washington and Oregon share.
If you need any more proof, just watch the way the Husky and Duck fans interact every day on social media.