It's 1985. You flip past a commercial featuring Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and Larry Bird bickering over which one of them the new Converse shoe was specifically made for and see Oregon State is playing Washington. The odds makers have UW as the heavy favorite, setting Oregon State as 37 point underdogs. It's a typical overcast day and some 58,000 rabid Washington fans have jammed into Husky Stadium in Seattle, eager to add yet another beaver pelt to their extensive collection.
Adding to the depressing narrative was the absence of all PAC-10 WR Reggie Bynum and the fact that the Beavers would be without their usual QB Erick Wilhelm (who was lost for the season due to injury), instead starting freshman Rich Gonzales.