Ahead of the top-10 showdown in Seattle this weekend, The Athletic’s Antonio Morales talked to a handful of Pac-12 assistants and support staff personnel to get candid (and anonymous) takes on the contest.

There were cases made for No. 7 Washington, with its high-flying offense and elite quarterback, to pick up the win in front of its home crowd. There were cases for No. 8 Oregon to go into Husky Stadium and hand the Huskies their first loss of the season.

One staffer told Morales they believe Washington will “be able to put up big numbers against Oregon” because the UW coaching staff has a strong understanding of how to put defenses into conflict with their principles. Another said Michael Penix Jr. is the better quarterback in the matchup.

Another said Oregon’s recruiting success over the last five years has given the Ducks a roster that simply doesn’t compare to the rest of the conference in terms of top-down quality.

“Oregon looks like an SEC team from a personnel standpoint,” the staffer told The Athletic. “Advantage (goes to) Oregon.”

The Ducks hauled in the No. 9 recruiting class in the country during the 2023 cycle. The 2022 class — a transitional year that ranked No. 16 — is the only class in the last five cycles that hasn’t ranked in the national top 15.

Through the first five games of the season, Oregon (like UW) has blasted just about every team it has faced. Oregon and Georgia are the only teams in the country to rank top-10 in scoring offense and defense.

The Ducks also rank No. 3 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They’re outgaining teams on a per-play basis by 4.04 yards — the best differential in the country.

(Washington is second in net differential, which is part of what makes this matchup so exciting. The Huskies don’t have the same kind of dominant defense as Oregon, but they’ve been running all over — or, better put, throwing over — everyone they’ve faced.)

Classic case of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Kickoff from Seattle is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC.