In the run-up to a 26-16 loss in Seattle last season, since-fired Washington coach Jimmy Lake made waves when he downplayed the significance of the Oregon-UW rivalry.

He said the hatred was “way more pumped up than it is” by the media and that UW has too much “academic prowess” to consider Oregon a rival. Nevermind that both schools are in the AAU.

“Our battles are really, the schools that we go against, have academic prowess, like the University of Washington, Notre Dame, Stanford, USC,” he said. “We go toe to toe, all the way to the end, with those schools. So I think that’s made up and pumped up in your (the media’s) world. In our world, we battle more academically prowess teams.”

In the real world, UW went 4-8 and Lake was canned on Nov. 14, a day after the Huskies lost to Arizona State 35-30 to drop to 4-6 on the season. In the months that followed, Oregon pulled blue-chip 2022 recruits from the state of Washington in 5-star tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and 4-star guard Dave Iuli.

The 2023 class features the top-ranked recruit in the state of Washington — 4-star corner Caleb Presley.

Trust that recruits and players alike see those things and remember those things. When the home state does not recruit you, it sticks.

Oregon’s starting left tackle falls into that bucket. TJ Bass went to Butte J.C. in California, but he grew up attending Washington games after playing his high school ball about 100 miles north of Husky Stadium.

Bass had Utah and Arizona State and UCLA and Washington State offers. He had an offer to TCU. No UW, though.

“I was saying earlier, I wasn’t gonna say I was a big Husky fan,” Bass said this week, according to Duck Territory. “But I would go to Husky games every once and a while because some of my friends would have season tickets.”

Zero interest from either side, though.

“They have too much academic prowess for a JUCO guy, I guess,” he said, via Duck Territory.

It’s worked out pretty well for Oregon. The 6-foot-4 senior was an all-conference first-team pick last year. Twice this season, he has been named the Pac-12’s Offensive Lineman of the Week. He’s part of a veteran-laden offensive line that has allowed all of one sack in nine games.

Bass and the Ducks will get their chance to win a fourth straight game over their rival on Saturday — and 16th in 18 meetings — when the Huskies come to town. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT on FOX.