On Saturday morning, the Big Ten Network hosted its annual “Big 10K” which was kicked off by a speech from its Grand Marshal, former Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Even though Odunze never played in the Big Ten, the newest Chicago Bears star did a great job introducing the rivalry between Washington and the Oregon Ducks to the rest of their new conference.
“If you’re wearing that other green that’s out here that one of these Ducks are wearing,” Odunze said to the crowd of runners and Big Ten fans. “Just exit the race, you don’t really belong here.”
Odunze, who posted 25 catches for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns over four career games against the Ducks has never been shy about taking a shot at Washington’s oldest rival. A few days after the national championship game, the wide receiver entered a Spaces session on X (formerly Twitter) where Oregon fans were discussing their season and the coaching carousel.
“You guys better be nice to me or I might come back for another year,” he said.
As the longtime Pac-12 rivals move into the Big Ten, there should be no shortage of moments like this from both sides in the coming years.
Grand Marshal and former @UW_Football WR Rome Odunze kicked off the BTN BIG 10K with a comedic speech for the runners! 🤣
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— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) July 13, 2024