SEATTLE -- The Washington Huskies moved up to No. 5 in the Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the AP Poll Sunday while the Washington State Cougars dropped to No. 23 in both polls heading into the Apple Cup -- a game which will decide the Pac-12 North champion.
We'll find out Tuesday whether the outcomes of this weekend's games were enough to move the Dawgs back into the top four of the college football playoff rankings. The Huskies were No. 6 in the CFP standings, but No. 5 Louisville was crushed by Houston. Both No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan struggled, but probably not enough to drop them out of the top 4. Those two teams will play each other in their annual rivalry game this week.
The Huskies, which beat Arizona State 44-18 Saturday, need to win the Apple Cup and the Pac-12 Championship to hold onto any reasonable hopes of playing in one of the national semifinals.
While the Cougars' 42-28 loss at Colorado on Saturday stung, it had no bearing on their hopes for a Rose Bowl berth. They can still get there with a win in the Apple Cup and the Pac-12 Championship.
In an interesting quirk, it's possible the Pac-12 Championship on Dec. 2 could allow the Huskies or Cougars to get revenge on the only teams to beat them this season. If UW wins Friday and Colorado loses to Utah Saturday, the title game will be the Dawgs vs. the USC Trojans. If WSU and Colorado both win this week, the Cougs and Buffaloes will face off again.
