In the 101st meeting of the biggest collegiate rivalry in the state of Washington, let’s just forget it all. Let’s forget the teams involved are 0-19 against Division I opponents this year. Or that a conference opponent (USC) outscored both Washington universities by a combined score of 125-0. Let’s overlook the fact that WSU set the record for most points allowed in Pac-10 play (350) in a single season – when we still had three Pac-10 games yet to play. Let’s put it all aside, because it’s Apple Cup time.

The biggest game of the season is about to take place, the outcome of which will be critical to both universities. Beyond the blatantly obvious yearlong possession of the trophy and the claim to ninth place in the Pac-10, there is a special sort of pride the Apple Cup victor gains. If the past few Apple Cups are any indication, football fans will be treated to a close and competitive contest, which is all we can ask for as spectators and fans. After all, a must-not-lose game is much more critical than a must-win game – humiliation is an even greater motivator than pride.

But the significance of this game transcends the scoreboard on the field and seeps into the entire university and communities as a whole.

College football has been society’s indicator of the general success of a Division I university. A successful football team correlates to increased attention and interest from the nation. In this regard, another Apple Cup victory by WSU – making it four out of the past five games – will tangibly demonstrate the progress our university made in recent years. Stated with a hint of bias, I believe we’re far superior to our western brethren – and an Apple Cup win will provide indisputable evidence.

Looking past the game itself, this friendly rivalry tends to bring out the best in both universities, a perfect opportunity to improve and influence the community surrounding us.

Three years ago, crimson and gray blanketed and waved atop the Seattle skyline via the Space Needle when WSU raised more money in the “Tackling Hurricane Relief” fundraiser. Trumping UW by more than $30,000, we not only invaded Husky territory for a weekend, but improved and changed the lives of thousands affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Organizations get involved as well. For nearly three decades, WSU and UW chapters of the Kappa Sigma fraternity have competed in a Pass-Run competition to raise money for Northwest Harvest, an organization that provides hot and canned foods to about 300 food banks in Washington state.

This year, there are a few unique competitions as well, including the “one thing” challenge directed toward residence hall students. The premise of this challenge is to get students to change one behavior which will build onto future betterment of the community. This is significant because the challenge is motivated by the competitive spirit between the two universities. A WSU sorority – Sigma Kappa – is currently engaged in a contest with its UW counterpart to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

While it’s easy for the players to look ahead to a weekend in Hawaii and for Cougar fans to salivate over what is hyped to be the best recruiting class in school history, we cannot ignore this critical weekend and what it means to the football programs, universities and communities involved.

So let’s spend one additional day in Pullman to get behind and support our men as we face off in one of the biggest Apple Cup’s in history – just try to forget why it’s so significant this time around.