Much at stake for those playing in the Apple Cup

So what happens when arguably the worst teams in both programs' histories face off in the Apple Cup?

You get one of the biggest Apple Cups in a long time.

No, I'm serious.

Really, please stop laughing.

Other than when a Rose Bowl or national championship is on the line, when are the stakes higher than this?

Washington State has been laughable in its losses, giving up 58 or more points six times in eight Pac-10 games, getting shut out three times, all while looking utterly inept on both sides of the ball.

This week, Washington State is at home against its rival, a team that is 0-10 this season. Lose this and the 2008 Cougars will go down as one of the worst teams in conference history.

And for the Huskies, the stakes are even higher.

If Washington loses Saturday, it will likely become the first Washington football team to go winless since 1890, a year the team tied its only game.

And yes, I am already writing the Dec. 6 game at Cal off as a loss. Unfair? Perhaps, but this column works a lot better if I do.

A one-loss season is terrible, no doubt, but decades from now, 1-11 would fade to a vague memory. The 2008 season would only come up when future Washington teams struggle and us media types need a measuring stick for futility.

But winless seasons, like diamonds, are forever. The Huskies would take a dubious place in Washington history with a loss in Pullman. Already the Huskies have become the first 0-10 team in school history, and already they own the program's longest losing streak at 12 games. The last thing these Huskies want is to become the team everyone remembers for a winless season.

"It's huge," senior cornerback Mesphin Forrester said following last weekend's loss. "We don't want to go down as a team that hasn't won a game. We want to go out there and play hard against the Cougars. Not only for us, but the Husky family, the fans, the past players who ran through that tunnel. It's not just about the guys in the locker room, it's about everybody. It's about the Husky fans and past players."

That's why so much is riding on a game that this week has become a joke to the outside world. To everyone else, this game is just a morbid curiosity, but for the two teams at Martin Stadium, it's as big as it gets. As strange as it sounds, both of these teams will probably play with more passion than they have in years.

"Everything," senior defensive tackle Johnie Kirton said when asked what a win Saturday would mean. "It's the battle of Washington. We can't lose that again."

For Washington's seniors, Saturday is the last good chance to avoid leaving on the worst possible note. The seniors already know they will leave Washington having never been to a bowl game, having never known a winning season. The last thing they want is to also be known as the leaders of a team that failed to win a game. And for the freshmen who play such a big role on this team, it would be quite a challenge to bounce back from an 0-12 start.

"You don't want to send the young guys out with a bad taste for the next few years they're here, and for us older guys, we definitely don't want to leave with no wins our last season," Kirton said.

This Apple Cup is basically a battle to be the bad team in 2008 instead of the historically awful one. And the funny thing is, that will be enough to make both teams play with more fire than they have all season.

Humiliation is a strong motivator.

"We both just need wins at this point in the season," said junior linebacker Donald Butler. "Obviously there's no bowl game for either of us, but trying to get a win is the biggest thing right now. I think I speak for most of the guys on the team that everybody just wants to get that feeling back around this locker room and this program."

The 2008 Apple Cup: it's bigger than you think.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog