For Huskies, season of urgency starts at Oregon

Listen to too much pregame puffery, and you will think that watching the Washington-Oregon game Saturday requires either wearing a tuxedo or packing a month's worth of canned goods.

Depending on your level of hope, the hype suggests you should brace for either a celebration or an evacuation. In two days, the Most Important Season Opener Ever begins for the Huskies, so presumably this is a monumental Thursday in your life. And Friday, The Eve, oh, it will be an epoch of anticipation and uncertainty.

Then there's no telling what will happen Saturday, when two football teams stacked with unknowns play a game that could define coach Tyrone Willingham's Huskies tenure.

In a season of urgency, it's fitting to be presented with such a crucial game so soon. The event couldn't possibly surpass the buildup, but even without the supreme hyperbole, it would still carry great importance.

For the Huskies, here's the deal: They must make a program-altering statement in this game. An impressive victory would be ideal. But if they lose, they must perform in a manner emphatic enough to announce that they're done with the unsightly part of rebuilding.

It seems unreasonable to heap such significance on the first of 12 games, but in this situation, it's not. Surrounding the Huskies is a disjointed community. There are so many factions, from the Willingham detractors to his supporters to the fans unsure of where to stand.

Winning is the only unifier. The losing must stop. Four straight losing seasons, including the past three from the Willingham regime, is too much. Five straight seasons without a bowl berth is too unbearable. Willingham's 1-8 record against the Northwest Pac-10 rivals — Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State — is too humiliating.

A victory Saturday would be both a cosmetic and symbolic change. It would be the greatest victory of the Willingham era, a road triumph over a Top 20 foe. It would show that these Huskies, so young and fresh, are different from the teams of the past half-decade.

"Oh, it would be so huge for us," guard Jordan White-Frisbee said, imagining the impact. "It's just what we need. We've been working toward playing this game all offseason."

The flip side is that the Ducks have been doing the same. Around here, there's a belief (hope?) that the Huskies have a better chance of upsetting Oregon in an opener than later in the season.

The Ducks must replace the production of quarterback Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart. Nate Costa, the quarterback Oregon coach Mike Bellotti pegged as Dixon's replacement, is out with a knee injury. Although Justin Roper is a capable quarterback, the Ducks offense is sure to have some issues early in the season.

The revamped Washington defense won't see the same Oregon team that scored 55 points and rushed for 465 yards against the Huskies last season. But it remains to be determined whether that shrinks the distance between these teams sufficiently for an upset.

Never one for bandwagon thought, Willingham resists the notion that his team is catching the Ducks at the right time. The Huskies will be figuring out themselves, too, in this game.

"No," Willingham said. "I don't think that has anything to do with it. I thought it was a great time for both of us to play each other. Other than that, no, I think it will be a heckuva football game."

More than playing the who-has-the-edge game, Willingham is focused on giving Huskies fans back a portion of their identity. He understands the disgust of that 1-8 record against the Northwest rivals. Willingham has beaten Washington State once, but he's oh for the state of Oregon the past three years.

He knows the parity argument doesn't matter. The Huskies used to own those rivalries. Willingham understands the need to restore that regional supremacy during the climb to become nationally relevant again. Beating Oregon would be a good start. Washington is at risk of losing to the Ducks five consecutive seasons for the first time in its history. Willingham doesn't need that smudge mark.

"For a period of time, Washington dominated this relationship with Oregon and most of the relationships in the Northwest," Willingham said. "Since then, all those programs have improved, and Washington has been in one of those down cycles.

"Now, it's time to come out of that."

The Huskies have lacked the kind of talent to win big in recent seasons, and they still don't have the most impressive roster in the Pac-10, especially when it comes to experience. But there's enough skill to win. Willingham should be able to muster tangible improvement out of his fourth Huskies team.

In two days, the chatter will end. In two days, this awkward season will begin. In two days, the Huskies will prove whether they're ready to survive this season of urgency.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For his Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports