Pac-12 Football: 10 best Apple Cup rivalry games of all time

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ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 17: Head Coach Gary Pinkel of the Missouri Tigers is interviewed at halftime of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs on October 17, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

10. 1984 (Washington 38, Washington State 29)

Washington’s Jacque Robinson scored two touchdowns to outduel Rueben Mayes. Mayes, a longshot Heisman candidate (he finished 10th in the voting), rushed for 165 yards but was unable to score a touchdown. Robinson rushed for 160 yards.

The Huskies entered the game coming off a crushing defeat in Los Angeles against USC. Prior to the USC game, UW was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Nevertheless, the team needed to bounce back and win the Apple Cup in Pullman to get into a premiere bowl game. With the loss to USC, the Rose Bowl was out of the picture, but the team could go to a different bowl game, such as the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl. With the win, the Huskies earned a spot in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma and eventually No. 2 in the nation, even dubbed National Champion by some fringe outlets (for example, the Berryman QPRS).

Future head coach Gary Pinkel guided Washington’s offense as offensive coordinator against the flashier Washington State offense led by future Super Bowl winner Mark Rypien.

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