Good news, Apple Cup fans!

Good news, Apple Cup fans!

There are worse matchups this week in college football.

For example: Akron (2-7) vs. Eastern Michigan (0-11).

Steve Harvey, who writes the humorous Bottom Ten column for the Los Angeles Times, notes that the Eagles “need a clutch loss against No. 7 Akron (2-9) on Saturday to win the Bottom Ten title.”

Once upon a time, the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State regularly determined Harvey’s Bottom Ten champion as the worst team in college football.

So, take heart Cougs (No. 4 in Bottom Ten) and Dawgs (unranked). Sure, today’s game at Husky Stadium is one of the more irrelevant in Apple Cup history.

But, as Beavers and Ducks can tell you, it could be worse. And, it has to get better.

Pitty the Portland Pilots men’s basketball team.

On Thursday, the Pilots hammered UCLA in Los Angeles, 74-47. A great win for Mountain View grad Nik Raivio and his teammates. The bad news: it happened on Thanksgiving, so not many folks noticed.

Thursday’s win came five days after the Pilots beat Oregon at the Chiles Center. Not many folks noticed (or watched) that game, either. It was played at the same time the Ducks were rallying to beat Arizona in overtime to stay alive for the Rose Bowl.