As the hoopla surrounding Oregon’s win over Washington begins to subside, I’ve found myself coming back to a place best described as random, yet oddly poetic – at least through my weird prism. As strange as it sounds, my mind wanders to The Wire, the critically-acclaimed HBO television show that last aired to cable subscribers over 10 years ago.

I’m reminded of the scene between Cutty, a once respected member of the Barksdale crew who finds himself back on the street after 14 years spent in prison, and Slim Charles, a young up-and-coming member of the same gang who schools Cutty on how things have changed on the streets since he’s been away.

“The game done changed,” says Cutty. To which Slim replies, “The game the same, it just got more fierce.”

And in an odd way, doesn’t that isolated exchange kind of abstractly apply to the state of Oregon football in this present moment?

Remove yourself from the thrills of Saturday’s victory for a moment, and you soon realize this is familiar, but also new territory for Oregon football. For decades, the game in Eugene was largely defined by the coaching tenures of Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly. It was a style of play marked by innovation, excitement, and wild success that was previously unprecedented. That time came to an end, however, and has been replaced by Mario Cristobal’s game. It’s one that borrows from those old, familiar days, but is wrapped in decidedly more fierce and physical packaging.

It doesn’t stop there, however. With Oregon’s win over Washington, the Ducks now wear an inflated target as they set out on a six-game stretch to close out the season, one that features four appearances on the road. It’s a reminder too that while life at the top is good, it’s also one wrought with intense pressure and competition from all-comers.

It’s true. The game hasn’t changed. But after some time away, I’ll be damned if it doesn’t feel like things have gotten more fierce…

The good news, however, is that through six games, this team under Cristobal’s direction has already positively answered a handful of very important and difficult questions:

Question #1: After multiple seasons of mediocrity, would the Ducks be prepared to handle the national focus and attention that came with the Stanford game?
Answer: Despite the loss, yes.

Question#2: Following a crushing defeat to the Cardinal, would this team be strong enough to mentally rebound and earn a win on the road at Cal?
Answer: Most definitely.

Question #3: With another shot at a top 10 team at home, could Cristobal, Justin Herbert, and the program at large get over the big game hump and come away with an era-defining win over their most hated rival?
Answer: You bet.

Indeed, by just about any measure, fans and outside observers alike would have to agree that the first half of the season for Oregon has been an out-and-out success. But with a sneakily treacherous second half of the schedule remaining, the question now becomes, “How does Oregon handle prosperity and the role reversal that comes with going from the hunter to the hunted?”

Like the other questions that have been previously posed the last several weeks, the Ducks will get an opportunity reveal their answer in short order. Oregon travels to Pullman this Saturday to face no. 25 Washington State, who at 5-1 enters the AP Top 25 for the first time this season. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Washington State will also host ESPN’s College GameDay for the first time in program history, a landmark moment for a school and a program that has been only tangentially featured on the show thanks to a long standing tradition that includes a WSU alum faithful flying “Ol’ Crimson” in the background of every live GameDay airing for the past 15 years.

Needless to say, the matchup versus Washington State brings together all the ingredients necessary to set the kind of trap that would leave Admiral Ackbar convulsing like Steven Jones. In fact, a strong argument can be made that Saturday’s game versus the Cougars will be Oregon’s most difficult and revealing test to date.

How so?

Unlike games versus Stanford and Washington, the Ducks won’t have the luxury of playing with a significant home field advantage. And unlike Oregon’s first road game of the year at Cal, the Ducks will be playing with the kind of super-sized bullseye on their back that will have them feeling like they’re playing the role of overwhelming favorite opposed to plucky underdog…never mind what Caesar’s Palace might say about making the Cougars a scant one-point favorite as of Monday night.

Of course, these factors don’t even include the fact that Washington State’s greatest strength – it’s high flying Air Raid attack, currently ranked tops in the country in passing yards per game – will be feasting its eyes upon Oregon’s most discernible weakness – it’s porous pass defense, currently ranked second-to-worst in the Pac-12 ahead of Oregon State.

Feeling uneasy yet?

I can’t blame you if you do. Just remember to savor that familiar flavor – nerves and all – and hold close the mindful words of Slim Charles.

“The game the same, it just got more fierce.”