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February 15, 2010 at 3:02 PM

ESPN's Rece Davis challenges UW's "Purple Nation"

ESPN sportscaster Rece Davis issued a challenge to Washington fans to "do something special" when the network brings its College GameDay crew to Seattle for Saturday's UW-UCLA game.

Davis said "Gonzaga has been great every time we were there. Cal was a trip last year that we will never forget. What do you have for us Purple Nation of U-Dub?"

Not sure who the Purple Nation is. Maybe he was referring to the Dawg Pack. And maybe this challenge is a gimmick to generate excitement in a game that has zero buzz around the country.

A video request like this seems to suggest the network doesn't think a game between the No. 4 and 5 Pac-10 teams will draw viewers on the East Coast, Midwest and South so it's hoping the Husky fans can get a little wacky to make it more entertaining.

This is the same network that bumped the UW-Cal game from ESPN to ESPN2 last week, which caused Bears coach Mike Montgomery to say: "The fact of the matter is we got moved to ESPN2 because it isn't quite the matchup they may have anticipated at the start of the year. It's good that they don't have ESPN4."

If ESPN thought so highly of that game, imagine how the network execs feel about this game.

At least analyst Jay Bilas wasn't patronizing when he previewed the week's big games. He highlighted Purdue at Ohio State and Syracuse at Georgetown, while noting the UW game.

AFTERNOON LINKS:

--- In an story on Bubble Teams, ESPN.com writes: "The Huskies' at-large chances all but ended with their 12-point loss at Cal on Thursday, but their mediocre computer profile will keep them in the bubble discussion for at least another week."

--- Bracket guru Joe Lunardi still has just one Pac-10 team (No. 8 seed Cal) making the NCAA tournament.

--- The Oregonian is running a poll asking readers if Oregon should keep coach Ernie Kent. The last time I checked, the No votes had 74 percent of the votes.

--- Pac-10 officials coordinator Bill McCabe tells the News Tribune Washington is the toughest venue for its officials.

--- In case you missed it, here's an interesting story involving former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon who is suing the NCAA. His lawsuit cleared a hurdle last week and if he wins, it could change the way the NCAA does business.

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ESPN's Rece Davis challenges UW's "Purple Nation"

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