Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban's Bold Take on Oregon vs. Washington Rivalry

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks are on the road in Seattle, Washington, to face their bitter rivals, the Washington Huskies. With a College Football Playoff spot on the line, the game between Oregon and Washington continues to hold elevated stakes. Combined with the historic hatred between the two teams, the rivalry drew the attention of Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban on ESPN's College GameDay.

What Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban Said

Oregon Ducks Washington Huskies Kirk herbstreit nick saban espns college gameday rivalry week college football playoff — Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch, left, congratulates Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on his win after a game at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

On the show's "Grab Bag" segment, Herbstreit was asked to name the most underrated rivalry in the country, in his opinion.

"I’ll tell you the one that stands out to me. There’s two. South Carolina vs. Clemson, doesn’t matter what’s at stake. You play a pregame brawl. And Oregon vs. Washington. I don’t think the nation understands how nasty that rivalry is," Herbstreit said.

Saban agreed, acknowledging College GameDay's multiple trips to Eugene, Oregon, during the 2025 season:

"I agree with you on that one because I didn’t realize it until we were at Oregon last week. Man, those people hate Washington. Hate ‘em," Saban responded.

Later in the show, both Herbstreit and Saban picked Oregon to win the game over Washington and explained some of their reasoning. Herbstreit specifically highlighted Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq as the key to Oregon's offense dealing with injuries as well as Washington quarterback Demond Williams facing the Ducks defense.

"If you look at the injury lists, Oregon continues to have issues, the top three wide receivers doubtful, their offensive linemen. This is a team that's gonna have to rely on the backup linemen, Kenyon Sadiq last week, we saw what he can do. Obviously, he'll have to step up," said Herbstreit.

"But to me, the story is Demond Williams against this Oregon defense. . . . Oregon is a top three defense with Tosh Lupoi. I think even in a rivalry game, it's going to be a line of scrimmage game. I'm gonna give Oregon the edge, but it's gonna be because of that defense," Herbstreit continued.

Saban followed up with his thoughts:

"I like Oregon too because they play complimentary football," said Saban. "You know, they're one of the few teams in the country that are in the top 15 in offense, they're in the top 15 in defense. So they're really good on both sides of the ball. But it does scare me a little bit that Washington is so tough to beat in Seattle. And Demond Williams is the guy. When he plays good, they're pretty damn good."

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MORE: Oregon Coach Dan Lanning's Refreshing Reaction to Tosh Lupoi Exit Rumors

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Saturday's Playoff Stakes for Oregon

Speaking of rivalries, ESPN's College GameDay is in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes look to protect their perfect season against No. 15 Michigan. If the Wolverines pull off the upset again, Oregon could clinch an appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game with a win over Washington.

Regardless of the result in Ohio State vs. Michigan, the Ducks most likely need to win against Washington in order to make the College Football Playoff.

No. 3 Texas A&M fell to No. 16 Texas on Friday night meaning the Aggies will miss the SEC title game. Texas A&M is still expected to make the 12-team field after finishing 11-1, but how far will the Aggies fall in the next edition of the CFP rankings? Texas A&M likely falls outside of the top four but could stay ahead of Oregon and No. 7 Ole Miss after a road loss to Texas.

No. 10 Alabama will play No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game if the Crimson Tide can beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl. On the other hand, Ole Miss will play Georgia if Auburn can upset Alabama.