Commentary: It's early, but Huskies and Cougs on collision course for epic Apple Cup

Seriously, can we play Apple Cup tomorrow? I mean, this has potential to be an epic rivalry game in Pullman...if the Huskies and Cougs can stay the course.

That's a lot easier said than done - but a look at their schedules seems to suggest we just might be on a collision course for a battle for supremacy in the PAC-12 North the day after Thanksgiving. Even if either team loses a game between now and then, Apple Cup would still be the head-to-head tiebreaker to determine who advances to the conference championship game.

Now, I get it: We're still seven weeks away, and a whole lot can happen before then. But we're not players, we're not coaches - we're all college football fans. And why can't we dream, and speculate, and imagine the possibilities after watching both teams clobber perennial powers like Oregon and Stanford in consecutive weeks?

For the Huskies, this has playoff potential. Run the table in the PAC-12, and I don't care about national polls or non-conference schedules - they'll make the national semifinals. Do I think there should be six or eight teams in a playoff? Yes. But things like this tend to work out as a season plays out, and I can almost guarantee that an undefeated team from the PAC-12 would reach the Final Four. The biggest hurdle isn't a selection committee - it's getting to the end of the year without a blemish on their record.

With that punishing defense - and with that offense, led by a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender at this point in Jake Browning - I'm not underestimating their potential.

As for the Cougs - keep winning, and they'd make history too: They'd be the first JC softball team to ever reach a Rose Bowl.

"That's what we are - a JC Softball Team," Leach said three weeks ago, part of a memorable rant after an 0-2 start.

Dare I mention that the Cougs haven't lost a game since Leach went on that rant? That, like the Huskies, the Cougs are also undefeated in conference play for now and have a schedule that's pretty favorable if they handle their business? Oh, and they also have some semblance of a running game that actually keeps a defense guessing? The Cougs have also played a role in turning this division on its head, and for the second straight year, they seem to be improving after an embarrassing start.

So here we are, basking in the glow of successful, meaningful football from both FBS colleges AND our professional team in the State of Washington - all at the same time - quite possibly for the first time ever!

One way or another, the conference will run through this state.

Just one request from a football fan that doesn't have a stake in this rivalry: Keep winning Huskies, and keep winning Cougs.

Apple Cup can't get here soon enough.