Football Friday

"Field Level," by Seattlest Flickr contributor slightlynorth

It's football season, and frankly, it hasn't come quickly enough for us. Since the end of last gridiron season, we lost our NBA team, the Mariners have become little more than a soap opera, and we've become far too familiar with Olympic swimmers. But in football, we are offered a reprieve from all the negativity (until the UW loses their first game, of course). Let's take a look at this weekend's games:

Seahawks vs Raiders (7 p.m. Friday, Qwest Field, KING5, 710 KIRO)
The final preseason game offers little intrigue aside from watching the west sideline for guys hobbling around. Injury prevention will be key, and starters will see little playing time in advance of the regular season, which begins play next weekend. A few key position battles still remain, with final spots at RB and WR remaining unclear, although we think Duckett makes the team as the third-down back.

Huskies at Oregon (Saturday, 7 p.m. FSN, 950 KJR)
Aside from the fact that these teams don't like each other, this is the most critical game in the Huskies' season. Currently there are two bandwagons at the ready in Montlake. If the Dawgs pull off the upset, prepare for Jake Locker overkill (think "Michael Phelps in purple"). If the Dawgs lose, then the "Fire Tyrone Willingham" troops will have all they need to begin their season-long campaign to have the coach's head. And we think that's patently unfair for a guy who inherited a program in shambles a few years ago. (Plus we are homers, and we saw Coach deliver one of the sweetest hits in our young lives when he was in college.) Regardless, please don't call him "Ty". Oregon can make school history as they attempt to defeat the Huskies for the fifth consecutive game. Prediction: Mallards 23, Doggies 21

WSU vs Oklahoma State (12:30 Saturday at Qwest Field, FSN)
The Cougs cross the mountains like Hannibal and descend on Seattle for their now-annual foray at Qwest Field. New WSU coach Paul Wulff brings his high-powered, no-huddle offense to the Pac-10 after six seasons at EWU. The contest features a battle of two land-grant schools, and features OSU coach Mike Gundy, whose press conference rant last season was the year's most odd/funny/frightening/shower-craving video on YouTube. Oh yeah, they took our basketball team, too. Prediction: Rustlers 27, Bobcats 20