The No. 3 UW men’s crew is on the Redwood Shores in Belmont, Calif., this weekend to race against two of the nation’s best: No. 5 Stanford and No. 2 Wisconsin.

The Huskies will compete in dual meets against both opponents, facing the Cardinal tonight and the defending national champion Badgers Saturday morning. The Dawgs finished ahead of Stanford in every race they competed in at the San Diego Crew Classic two weeks ago, but UW men’s head coach Michael Callahan isn’t taking the opponent lightly.

“They row with a lot of fire, a lot of conviction, and if you don’t come out on top of your game, they’ll make you pay for it,” he said.

As for Saturday’s head-to-head matchup against Wisconsin, the Huskies will be seeking revenge against a team that beat them in the national championships last year. This battle of the UWs is one of the biggest races of the season.

“We’re looking forward to this matchup,” Callahan said. “As people say, this has been on the calendar for a long time, and we’ll be able to really see where we are.”

The Huskies will be bringing their freshman boat and two varsity boats to compete for both days of racing.

The regattas will be held on Stanford’s home course, which is a narrow lagoon that can only hold two boats at a time. This, combined with the races being dual meets, could make for some very exciting matches.

“It’s a different mindset competing against just one other team,” Callahan said. “It’s like two heavyweight fighters sitting in the middle of the ring.”

Victories this weekend would not only bump the Huskies up in the national rankings, but could provide them with the strong confidence they’ll need for the remainder of the season.

“It would be a huge moral victory for us,” Callahan said. “It’s just a process from the beginning of the year until the last day, and we’re just trying to get better every day.”

Reach reporter Scott Eisen at sports@dailyuw.com.