Look who's coming to lunch...

What has been your favorite response to, "we are gonna make it a decade on Saturday"? I mean, don't you just hate this team and their fans so much? We understand the Cougar Complex, it is simple for us to understand that they don't have a lot to celebrate in the middle of nowhere so when there is any kind of success (like, a first down kind of success), then they freak out and bring the incoherent "in your f*****g face" comments. With the Ducks, there is just something about the way the team conducts its business and who their fans are that make you just want to pour gasoline all over your body and look for the first smoker wearing one of those Oakley sweatshirts Duck fans love so much. Phil Knight is like the dad of that rich kid you hated so much growing up. You know, the kid that got any and everything he wanted and his rich dad wasn't around very much so he made up for it by buying him the coolest crap. And then you finally meet the dad and he is the cockiest little punk you have ever met. That's what Phil Knight is like to this team, and this team is that stupid son that everyone loves until you get to know him. For instance, I have a lot of friends spread out across the country and they love the Ducks and their uniform crap and all that. But if you are in the Pac-12 or moved into the Northwest and started to get to know the Ducks and their fans, you know you hate them (enough of the metaphors and analogies for now). The reason this rivalry is so heated is because there seems to be such a difference in the type of people associated with either program. I am not saying that Husky fans are not without dumbasses, trust me, there are quite a few out there unfortunately. Whereas the Cougar fans are like that annoying little brother who you tolerate, Duck fans are like your wife's ex-husband; you just don't like anything about them. Everything they do just pisses you off and most of the time you can't even pinpoint why it pisses you off.

Gut check? Not really

It cannot be overstated how big of a win this would be. What I think is being understated is that this would not be a devastating, end of the season loss. Despite the early successes of the 2013 season, the Dawgs are on the road against an undefeated, top 5 team. Oh and by the way, it is an undefeated, #5 Stanford team that the Huskies are playing on "The Farm". The Cardinal offense rumbles and bumbles, and the defense is as stout as a team can be. In fact, with the SEC becoming the Pac12 in terms of focus on the offense, Stanford has more of an SEC type of play than any of the SEC teams right now. There is a lot of attention being paid to this game here in the Northwest, down in the Bay Area and even across the country. Special stories, expert opinions, not-so-expert opinions and predictions have flooded the media scene; all of which is relatively new for these Huskies. Of the many predictions, most are in favor of Stanford but there are quite a few people out there that think the Dawgs can win this. What I think is being lost, though, is that this isn't a do-or-die game. I know that this program is done with the days of "good losses", but we also can't expect to win some of the toughest games of the year because we have had a good season so far. I do think that the Huskies CAN win this game. We have the elements to put together some impressive schemes and strategies that will give any team fits. Executing these schemes and strategies is a whole other ball of wax, though. If the Huskies execute and win, would you believe the Dawgs could be a top ten team?! On the other hand, if we lose but show that we were worthy adversaries, wouldn't that mean something, too? If we show that we can hang with the Cardinal today, does that give us a better chance against Oregon at home next week? These are the questions and takeaways we will be looking for after this game ends. I have been praying like a good boy all week that we give Stanford hell today, and I hope it works. But I am not going to be disappointed with a "good loss" because we can still accomplish a lot this season without this.

Look, I am an optimistic, unrealistic Husky fan like the rest of you, but I don't want to set myself up for being the depressed, unhappy Husky fan I become when I think that we should win a game and we don't. I will be streaming this game on my phone while at a wedding today, so drinks will be free. I will be covered to celebrate either a historic win or "good loss".

GO DAWGS!!!!