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Inside The Huskies

Huskies Stand to Open 2026 Football Season with Apple Cup

This would be the earliest these teams have met in the 116-game rivalry.
Dan Raley|
Huskies football players hold up the Apple Cup Trophy after defeating WSU in the 2022 game in Pullman.
Huskies football players hold up the Apple Cup Trophy after defeating WSU in the 2022 game in Pullman. | James Snook-Imagn Images

As college football continues to discard old traditions and create new ones in a rapidfire manner, try this on for size: in 2026, the University of Washington likely will open the season against Washington State for the first time in series history.

On Friday, the UW announced the 2026 Apple Cup will be played on Sept. 5 at Husky Stadium and the 2027 game will held on Sept. 18 in Pullman.

Unless something unusual happens -- such as a zero week game added to the 2026 Husky schedule in late August -- it's probable the UW will begin that football season against the Cougars, something that has never happened before.

In 116 previous games, the earliest the Huskies have met their cross-state rival was in the second week of the 1901 season, though that game actually was held on Nov. 1 back then in Pullman during a short schedule, with the Cougars winning 10-0.

With the break-up of the Pac-12 and the Huskies joining the Big Ten, the UW and WSU moved their annual game this past season from the end of the schedule to week 3 and a Sept. 14 date, with the Cougars emerging with a 24-19 victory at the Seattle Seahawk's Lumen Field, which was a neutral site.

In 2026, which will be quarterback Demond Williams' junior year, at the UW the Huskies are scheduled to open the season against Washington State and two weeks later meet Eastern Washington on Sept. 19. A third non-conference game for the Huskies hasn't been revealed just yet to fill the open slot.

In two years, the UW will open against Fresno State on Sept. 4 at Husky Stadium and face the Cougars two weeks later on Sept. 18 in Pullman. Again, a third non-conference opponent hasn't been secured and an open date remains.

The UW and WSU are contracted to play another Apple Cup in 2028 in Seattle, but no date has been assigned that game.

After this season's loss, the Huskies hold a 76-34-6 advantage in the Apple Cup series over the Cougars.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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