Game By Game, How Huskies Will Fare This Season

The natural inclination each year is to assume the University of Washington football team is going to be really good. Contend for something. Win way more than its share of games, especially at Husky Stadium.

It was that way in 2021, when a Jimmy Lake team was ranked No. 21 by the Associated Press to begin the season, shockingly lost to Montana in the opener and flat-lined to a tepid 4-8 record and the coach ended up on the unemployment line.

That was the direction everything was headed in 2019, when Chris Petersen's final team started out at No. 13 in the AP poll with Georgia transfer Jacob Eason at quarterback, beat USC but otherwise couldn't sustain any serious momentum. Those Huskies finished 8-5, but with the talent on hand this was considered a slight disappointment.

Yet expectations are always high because the UW has been saddled with just two losing seasons in the past 14 years.

Now come the 2026 Huskies coached by Jedd Fisch, who has showed himself to be a patient program builder and a determined recruiter. Be a pro he says, and players have come rushing to Montlake believing his sales pitch.

Fisch has gone from six wins to nine to a new season that begins Sunday afternoon at 1 with the Apple Cup played out against Washington State in Husky Stadium.

Expectations once again are weighty, with this latest UW team sitting at No. 17 in the AP poll.

Fisch is always optimistic, but neutral observers only had to look at the talent popping up on each side of the ball during spring and fall camps to know these Huskies have innate possibilities to succeed.

They get tackling machine Jacob Manu for a full season at linebacker. They have the extra swift Demond Williams Jr. back for a second season as the starting quarterback. Gifted freshmen are popping up everywhere across the starting lineup.

The schedule greatly favors this team with four home games right out of the chute. No Ohio State or Michigan to deal with at any time. A rebuilding Penn State comes to Seattle.

Considering all of that, here's what we think will happen for the Huskies this fall and, yes, once again optimism reigns:

WASHINGTON STATE, Sept. 6

It's a rivalry game, but no longer a fair fight, with the Huskies tied to the Big Ten and much bigger revenue streams. Besides, WSU is dealing with its fifth coach, counting interim guys, in three seasons. The days of the Cougar upset likely are a thing of the past. How long the Apple Cup remains on the schedule is uncertain at best. UW 35, WSU 14.

UTAH STATE, Sept. 12

The Aggies come to Seattle as a new Pac-12 team. Maybe they took the Huskies' vacated spot. Their second-year coach is Bronco Mendenhall, coming off a 6-7 debut season and formerly of BYU among other places. He's beaten the UW in two of three head-to-head meetings. It won't happen on this weekend. UW 28, Utah State 7.

EASTERN WASHINGTON, Sept. 19

The Eagles, coached by Tacoma native and longtime staffer Aaron Best, come off four consecutive losing seasons, including 5-7 in 2025. The best way to show the difference in these programs is this: the UW beat Boise State 38-10 last season and Eastern lost to the Broncos 51-14. This match-up won't be close. UW 52, Eastern 12.

MINNESOTA, Sept. 26

The Gophers were the first Big Ten team to face the Huskies back in 1936 and won the first seven meetings. They've played the UW more than any original Big Ten member, 17 times and won 10. The No. 1-ranked Gophers missed out on a national championship by losing to the Huskies 17-7 in the 1961 Rose Bowl. These teams last played in 1977 when Minnesota beat a Warren Moon team 19-17. Forty-nine years later, it's the UW's turn to win again. UW 28, Minnesota 10.

Tyler Robles leans into a spring practice kick. | Dave Sizer photo

At USC, Oct. 3

Most people are picking the Trojans to finish higher in the polls than the UW and win this Los Angeles showdown. The Huskies, however, haven't lost to USC in 10 years, Lincoln Riley hasn't delivered as expected and we see former Trojans kicker Tyler Robles stepping up and hitting a game-winning field goal at the end. UW 21, USC 20.

IOWA, Oct. 9

The Hawkeyes play the UW in Seattle for the first time in 63 years on a Friday night. Between visits, the Huskies have beaten Iowa twice in the Rose Bowl and lost once in the Sun Bowl and twice more in Iowa City. The overall series stands at 3-4. The home team evens things up here. UW 24, Iowa 14.

At PURDUE, Oct. 16

Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will take his highly acclaimed stop unit to the place where he was fired as a head coach in 2024. It that isn't enough to fire up Manu and Company to tackle everyone in sight in another Friday night game, nothing will. UW 35, Purdue 10.

Ryan Walters walks the sidelines during a 2024 Purdue game against Indiana State. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

At NEBRASKA, Oct. 31

Maybe the greatest road victory in UW annals came in Lincoln in 1991, when the fourth-ranked Huskies scored 27 unanswered points over the final quarter and a half to beat the No. 9 Cornhuskers 36-21on the way to the national championship. This should be another good, tough memory. UW 24, Nebraska 17.

PENN STATE, Nov. 7

The Huskies have never beaten the Nittany Lions, not in the Aloha Bowl, in the Fiesta Bowl, in State College or in Seattle during the Roaring 20s. That should change. UW 20, Penn State 9.

At MICHIGAN STATE, Nov. 14

By now, the Huskies will have everyone talking about them after a 9-0 start. Playoff possibilities will be bandied about. They'll catch Michigan State in a serious rebuild. UW 31, Michigan State 7.

Curt Cignetti coaches against the Huskies in 2024. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

INDIANA, Nov. 21

Well, it was fun while it lasted. With all eyes on Montlake, Game Day set up on upper campus and everything regarding the playoffs at stake, the Huskies aren't quite ready to join the big boys. Curt Cignetti simply has a Midas touch in a great game. Indiana 21, UW 17.

At OREGON, Nov. 28

The Ducks won't feel sorry for the Huskies, especially in Eugene, and will not only win again in Autzen but eliminate the UW from College Football Playoff consideration. Still, 10-2 going into a bowl game is nothing to sniff at. Oregon 27, UW 13.

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