There are far worse things to be addicted to, but watching the Apple Cup is my worst vice. In my nearly 37 years on this planet, my beloved Cougs have won this torture exercise just 10 times, and only twice in the last 10 matchups. I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t tingle as much as I should have during the 2004-2008 window, where WSU won four of five and probably should have won all five.
So here we are, once again, as WSU travels to Seattle—which it will do again next fall!—for the Apple Cup. Washington needs the win to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, and WSU needs the win to become bowl eligible.
And I need an intervention.
After four straight blowouts to begin the season, the Huskies have played their opponents—even the bad ones—much closer. Still, they’ve ended up on the right side of the ledger and have a Heisman hopeful quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. and NFL-ready wide receivers.
WSU, meanwhile, is coming off a get-back game against Colorado, in which it looked like the Cougs of September. Before then? We all know what happened.
Everything on paper tells me Washington will walk away with this one and WSU will once again depart the field after the Apple Cup without that cheap looking trophy. I chalked this game as an L a long time ago, but like clockwork every season, I find myself with little bits of optimism randomly throughout my days. Why do I do this to myself? Is it my youthful innocence wanting back in?
Is it when I read some small, probably meaningless nugget—like UW having a defense in the lower half of the Pac-12—that gives me hope? It’s like the angel and the devil on my shoulder. The angel has been there all season telling me the truth, that WSU has no chance. Then the devil appears during Apple Cup week to make me think that, hey, maybe the unthinkable will happen. The temptation is real, and I hate it.
Again, call my friends and family and schedule the intervention.
It all goes down today at Husky Stadium at 1 p.m. on Fox. Scream, talk, yell about it here.
Godspeed, and Go Cougs.