Apple Cup | What's at stake?

At stake: Cougars need a win to get to seven victories and ensure a bowl game. WSU can also beat UW three straight years for the first time in school history. Huskies looking to snap a six-game losing streak and head into the offseason with a little momentum. They'd also like to quiet the unrest that peaked with last week's desultory home loss to Stanford that killed any chances of a bowl game.

What to expect: Two teams struggling big time on offense seem to point to a low-scoring game, though the Apple Cup always lends itself to surprises. UW's passing game has been almost non-existent the past two weeks, and the Huskies have to get the running game going to open up the pass a bit. WSU is sure to be aggressive to try to take the Huskies out early. WSU likes to throw deep and will challenge UW's secondary, while its defense will try to put pressure on an ailing Carl Bonnell, knowing his backup is walk-on Felix Sweetman, who has just three career snaps.

Notes: UW leads the all-time series 63-29-6. WSU has won the past two meetings, 28-25 in Pullman in 2004 and 26-22 in Seattle last season, and has never won three in a row against the Huskies. ... UW has lost six straight games and hasn't lost seven in a row in the same season since losing nine in a row in 1969. ... WSU coach Bill Doba is 2-1 against the Huskies. UW coach Tyrone Willingham is 5-3 against WSU, 4-2 while coach at Stanford and 1-0 at Notre Dame. Willingham was 2-1 in Pullman while at Stanford. ... This will be the 12th game in 12 weeks for both teams, the only two teams in the Pac-10 that didn't have byes this season. ... WSU is favored for the sixth straight year. But the Cougars have covered the spread only once in those games, winning by four a year ago as a three-point favorite. ... Neither team has scored more than 17 points in its past two games.

Injuries: UW, DE Brandon Ala (elbow), QB Isaiah Stanback (foot), QB Johnny DuRocher (concussion) out; DT Donny Mateaki (calf) questionable; FB Luke Kravitz (knee), LB Donald Butler (calf), FS Jason Wells (knee) probable. WSU, WR Jason Hill (high ankle sprain), WR Chris Jordan (knee), DE Matt Mullennix (knee), LB Chris Balzer (knee), CB Markus Dawes (thigh), PK Loren Langley (thigh), CB Courtney Williams (knee) out; WR Michael Bumpus (high ankle sprain), questionable; DT Favaea'i Ahmu (foot), DT Ropati Pitoituia (knee), DT Aaron Johnson (elbow), RB Derrell Hutsona (ankle) probable

Craig Smith's prediction: WSU 28, UW 10. Strong senior class wills the Cougars to historic victory as WSU finally wins three straight against the team it most likes to beat.

Bob Condotta prediction: WSU 21, UW 10. Huskies will play with more grit than a week ago, but WSU's offense will break a big play to create some separation, and Washington's offense won't be able to get much done against an aggressive Cougars defense.