Kalen DeBoer shares what he learned about Washington-Oregon rivalry

Kalen DeBoer knows about the special rivalry between Washington and Oregon first hand. The second-year head coach led the Huskies to an upset win in 2022 in Eugene.

At the time, Washington ranked No. 25 in the country while Oregon was No. 6. So getting an upset out there makes it for a big time game this fall.

Washington has a bye week before hosting Oregon Oct. 14 and DeBoer simply can’t wait.

“It’s fun, special,” DeBoer said. “It’s big going on the road, you know, at that time getting a win there. You know, there’s a lot of things that especially, you get so caught up in just preparing, you live in your own little world as far as this what the game plan is going to be.

“But, you know, you learn a lot just as far as the excitement and the passion because you’re not out there until after maybe the season’s over and and your alumni and your fan base show their love and appreciation for getting that dub. So it’s gonna be a fun game.”

Currently, both are top 10 teams in the country. That could change this weekend depending upon how other teams play.

Both Oregon and Washington are off this week, but both teams should remain where they are or just slightly shift. Either way, it has to be the game of the weekend at 3:30 p.m. ET.

“Obviously, seventh and eighth in the country, you know, a lot of great football can be played on that day,” DeBoer said. “It’s great. It’s gonna be across the country for everyone to see. Our guys, I think play well, you know, we’ve shown we can play well both afternoon and night and so I know our guys will be ready.”

The offense on display will be tremendous and it could very well come down to who makes the last stop. For Washington and Oregon, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix could be in the Heisman Trophy mix.

Penix Jr. has 1,999 yards, 16 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 74.7% completion percentage. On the flip side, Nix has 1,459 yards, 15 touchdowns, one interception, an 80.4% completion percentage and a rushing touchdown.

In the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, Washington and Oregon should put on a show. Could this be a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship? 

It remains to be seen, but all eyes will be towards Seattle on October 14.