Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

You won't find too many more interesting games featuring a double-digit underdog than Washington's visit to No. 21 Oregon on Saturday.

Let us count the plot lines:

• Washington coach Tyrone Willingham is facing a win-or-else season after going 11-25 his first three years. Beating a ranked conference rival to open the season could create a massive momentum swing within the program, one that could fuel the Huskies through one of the nation's toughest schedules.
• After epidemic injuries ruined their 2007 national title run, the Ducks suffered a painful recurrence of déjà vu this week when projected starting quarterback Nate Costa was lost for the season to a knee injury. That puts pressure on Justin Roper to duplicate his stellar Sun Bowl performance running the Ducks' spread-option attack, because his two backups have zero Division I-A experience.
• Huskies sophomore quarterback Jake Locker was often spectacular last year as a run-pass threat. Oregon coach Mike Bellotti went as far as to call him "the most dangerous weapon in Division I football." Locker must improve on his 47 percent completion rate from 2007, but he's the Huskies' unquestioned leader and owns superstar potential.
• Expectations are stratospheric for the Ducks backfield tandem of Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount running behind perhaps the Pac-10's best offensive line. Johnson, who missed half of the 2007 season with a knee injury, is the multi-purpose "lightning," while the 230-pound Blount provides the "thunder."
• The Huskies will start a true freshman at tailback -- Chris Polk -- and defensive tackle -- Senio Kelemete -- and three of their top four receivers are freshmen, who, by the way, will be facing the Pac-10's best secondary. How will those wet-behind-the-ears players respond to the frenzy of Autzen Stadium?
• Oregon's spread offense often seemed unstoppable last year, while the Huskies' defense was the worst in program history. Consider Oregon's 55-34 assault at Washington, a game in which the Ducks rushed for a school-record 465 yards. It's hard to believe the game was actually tied entering the fourth quarter before the Ducks took over. How much will each unit regress (or progress, in the Huskies case) toward the mean in 2008?
• Washington center Juan Garcia appeared to suffer a potential career-ending foot injury during spring practices. He's expected to start against Oregon.
• And, while we're making a list, might as well toss in that these two programs can't stand each other and the Huskies are facing a potential five-game losing streak for the first time in the history of the rivalry.

"Man, that doesn't feel good -- especially with how their fans are," said Garcia, the only Husky who can remember the 42-10 Washington victory in 2003. "If you lose to them, they let you know it. They're pretty rude."

Roper said that he barely knew where Oregon was on the map when the Buford, Ga, product started looking at the Ducks, much less understood the bitterness of the rivalry.

With all eyes now on him, that lack of awareness may be a good thing. For example, he claims he didn't read or watch or listen to media accounts that said the quarterback job belonged to Costa, an assertion that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly didn't exactly go out of his way to controvert.

Roper, who threw four touchdown passes in the 56-21 Sun Bowl win over South Florida, subscribes to the idea that Kelly was pushing his buttons and trying to motivate him to compete for the job.

"Yeah, partially," Roper said. "He didn't want me to feel satisfied. He wanted me to stay hungry."

Speaking of hungry, most quarterbacks would lick their lips look at the UW defense, which is replacing five of seven starters from its front seven a year after surrendering 32 points and 446 yards per game.

"Last year was a rough year -- just a terrible year," said cornerback Mesphin Forrester, who played safety in 2007. "We couldn't stop the run. We couldn't stop the pass."

And it wasn't just about talent. Too often last year, players were out of position or confused about their responsibilities -- see the late touchdown pass to an uncovered Brandon Gibson that won Washington State the Apple Cup.

Enter veteran NFL defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

"Guys have been paying more attention to concepts this year -- knowing why you have to do something," Forrester said. "I don't know if people understood that last year."

Still, the Huskies' defense will only improve so much. Even Willingham indicated the unit is going to need some help from a ball-control offense.

"The first thing for our defense is our offense can go a long way to helping our defense," Willingham said.

Enter freshman tailback Chris Polk, who turned down an offer from USC to play immediately for the Huskies. Polk's preseason pyrotechnics provoke enthusiastic gushing from even the normally restrained Willingham.

"The thing that I've seen from Chris is kind of the 'Wow' factor," Willingham said. "You stand there as a coach and see some of the plays that he makes and go 'Wow!' It's a wonderful sensation to have."

Not as wonderful, however, as posting a season-opening upset victory at a nationally ranked conference rival.

Now that would be a "Wow" for Willingham.