Washington left with empty cup

What happens when a resistible force meets a movable object? The world may find out Saturday when Washington (0-10) and Washington St. (1-10) bump into each other in the annual sour Apple Cup match. It’s a real Titanic, in the sense that each team’s program is sinking.

For those who have pushed for the establishment of a BCS (Bowl Chump Series) playoff, this game may be the closest thing. The Washington woes underscore what a mediocre year it has been for the Pac-1, so named because USC is the only team in the top 20.

Just the other day Cal Coach Jeff Tedford led some to think that he wanted himself and his staff fired when he said, “We want to get the ax.” Actually, Tedford was referring to “The Axe,” which goes to the winner of the Cal-Stanford game.

In the Midwest, No. 3 Michigan, using the middle-aged-spread offense of new Coach Rich Rodriguez, ended a 33-season bowl streak -- unless the Comedy Channel agrees to pit the Woe-verines against the Apple Cup losers.

-- Steve Harvey

*--* Wreck, Record Last Loss Next Loss 1. Washington (0-10) 7-27,UCLA Washington St. 1 Washington St. (1-10) 0-31, Arizona St. Washington 3. Michigan (3-8) 14-21, Northwestern Ohio St. 4. Tennessee (3-7) Idle Vanderbilt 5. San Diego St. (1-10) 14-63, Utah UNLV 6. The SMUS (1-10) 10-36, UTEP Southern Miss 7. Syracuse (2-8) 14-39, Conn Notre Dame 8. Utah St. (2-9) 38-45, Louisiana Tech New Mexico St. 9. Indiana (3-8) 7-34, Penn St. Purdon’t 10. Purdon’t (3-8) 17-22, Iowa Indiana *--*

11. Mississippi St. (3-7); 12. Tulane (2-8); 13. Holy Toledo (2-8); 14. New Mexico (4-8); 15. New Mexico St. (3-7); 16. Arizona St. (4-5); 17. Clemson (5-5); 18. Away on business; 19. Florida St. (-19 -- the number of players who’ve missed games this year for various violations); 20. The men of Troy (-28 -- the number of points the Alabama school led LSU by before losing, 31-40).

Rout of the week: Ohio St. (9-2) over Michigan (3-8).

Crummy game of the week: Do you really need to ask?