Washington Lets Late Lead Slip Away in 25-21 Loss to USC
Following a deflating loss at the hands of Minnesota, the Huskies needed a win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Also coming off a frustrating loss, USC looked to get back on track at home after Oregon beat the Trojans with backup quarterback Dylan Raiola.
The Coliseum played host to the Huskies in 98-degree heat at kickoff, one of the hottest games in team history. That would be the only record set that day, as Washington fell to West Coast rival USC 25-21, leaving the Huskies to lick their wounds on the flight back to Montlake.
How did the Huskies own self-inflicted mistakes lead to a tough loss in Pasadena?
Big Ten Picks: Huskies Ready to Jump in USC Dumpster Fire
One fanbase will be extremely displeased Saturday night after Washington face USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Both Washington and USC disappointed last week, though for slightly different reasons. Washington suffered its first loss at home to an unranked team since 2021, while the Trojans lost to Oregon for the fourth straight time.
The ground was already cracking around USC head coach Lincoln Riley entering the season, and his handling of Desman Stephens’ dirty hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and dirtier celebration after. Now that ground is crumbling.
Minnesota Stuns Huskies at Home in Conference Opener
Much was expected of the Washington Huskies football team entering the 2026 season.
With the return of $4-plus million quarterback Demond Williams Jr., a stout defense and some highly touted yet inexperienced players around Williams, there was talk of being in the mix for a College Football Playoff.
After three uninspiring wins during a weak non-conference schedule, the Huskies’ thoughts of a strong season suffered a major setback with a 27-24 to midling Big Ten team Minnesota Saturday night in the conference opener at Husky Stadium.
The black uniforms looked cool, the band sounded good and the student section showed out. All else was essentially a mess for the Huskies. It was Washington’s first loss at Husky Stadium to an unranked opponent since a disaster of a 2021 season when UW finished 4-8.
Big Ten Picks: Will The Real Huskies Stand Up Saturday Against Minnesota?
We’ll find out a lot about Big Ten teams this week, after most played Charmin-soft nonconference schedules.
Fifteen of the 18 teams will open their conference seasons this week, including 3-0 Washington. The Huskies host Minnesota (2-1) in a battle of teams with much to prove after underwhelming nonconference slates.
This felt like an easy one to place in the Huskies win column before the season began, but Washington enters the game with a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball after narrow wins over Washington State and Utah State prior to last week’s domination of a struggling FCS Eastern Washington program.
Huskies Dominate Eastern Washington, Leave Unanswered Questions
No drama this time.
Not in this week’s result, though concerns remain despite a decisive win over an FCS opponent.
The Washington Huskies football team capped its non-conference slate with a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday at Husky Stadium. The Huskies, favored by more than three touchdowns before eking out wins against Washington State and Utah State, dispatched the 42.5-point underdog Eagles from Cheney with relative ease.
The announced attendance was 61,619, though it appeared that many of the purported attendees found something else to do while Washington (3-0) played an inferior opponent for the third straight week.
What the undefeated start means remains to be seen when UW opens its stretch of nine straight Big Ten games next Saturday against Minnesota. And despite the lopsided result, there is still work to be done as the competition stiffens dramatically over the next few games.
Big Ten Picks: Huskies Will Silence Eastern, Not Doubters, This Week
Can the mighty Eastern Washington Eagles stun Washington this week?
Well…
No…
This isn’t Vernon Adams and Cooper Kupp coming to town this week. That duo was trying to score late to stun the Huskies in 2014. First-year UW coach Chris Petersen and his team held on to win 59-52 that day, just three years after Steve Sarkisian escaped the Eagles with a 30-27 win.
All those Eags are long gone, however. Eastern, a powerhouse during the 2010s, last finished with a winning season in 2021. They’re off to a 1-2 start this season, and Eastern will soon be 1-3.
The Huskies, of course, have problems of their own despite a 2-0 start. Though they beat Washington State 24-10, the Cougars trailed just 10-7 in the fourth quarter. Last week, Utah State was throwing into the end zone to win the game, which UW held on to win 13-10.
There are plenty of questions about head coach Jedd Fisch’s offense, Demond William Jr.’s quarterback play, a running back room depleted by injuries and an offensive line that has failed to dominate lesser opponents the first two weeks.
Huskies Escape Utah State With Second Straight Underwhelming Performance
For the second straight week, the Washington Huskies underwhelmed and escaped.
Last week, it was an Apple Cup that was a three-point game in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, it was Utah State, a member of the resurrected Pac-12, throwing into the end zone to try to steal a win at Husky Stadium — Big Ten country.
The pass landed out of harm’s way, into the arms of UW defensive back Rahshawn Clark to seal a 16-14 win for the four-touchdown favorite Huskies. Washington’s offense, dysfunctional for three quarters against Washington State on Sept. 6 and for most of Saturday’s game, struggled in all phases against a Utah State team that lost to FCS opponent Idaho State last week.
Big Ten Picks: Washington Huskies Look to Rebound After Underwhelming Apple Cup
A win is a win, but it was less simple than that on Sunday when the Huskies won the Apple Cup.
Washington looks to put some meat on what is essentially a three-game preseason sandwich when Utah State visits Husky Stadium. UW struggled to run the ball in the season opener against Washington State, in part due to a lackluster performance by what is expected to be a solid offensive line.
The Huskies, down their top two running backs, will look to get more production from the big guys up front. Washington led just 10-7 in the fourth quarter before pulling away for a 24-10 win against WSU, mostly via the passing game.
Huskies Retain Apple Cup With Sloppy 24-10 Win vs. Washington State
It lacked the offensive outburst the Washington Huskies expected, but the Apple Cup trophy will stay in Seattle this year.
Washington pulled away from an outcome that was in doubt until the final minutes for a 24-10 victory to secure the second straight win over the Washington State Cougars after head coach Jedd Fisch lost his first attempt in 2024.
Washington Huskies Game-By-Game Predictions, and This Week’s Big Ten Picks
Welcome to Week 1 of Big Ten blowouts. There will be many these first three weeks.
For Washington, it starts with a potentially lopsided Apple Cup. The Huskies most likely need to win 10 games to earn Jedd Fisch’s first career College Football Playoff berth in his third season at UW. You may not need to worry much until Game 5 at USC. Will that be the first loss of the season for the Huskies? Find out below.
Will Apple Cup Continue Past 2028? Like Everything Else in College Football, It’s Complicated
With its future uncertain, the Apple Cup kicks off this Sunday as the season opener for both Washington and Washington State.
There’s a lot in that lede that would have sounded absurd a few years ago. Welcome to college football in 2026, a time in which traditions are maintained — as long as they come with maximum revenue streams.
Jedd Fisch, Huskies Target Four In-State Stars in Loaded 2029 Recruiting Class
In-state recruiting has been a fixture for Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch since he arrived at Montlake two years ago. He has secured a commitment from the best player in the evergreen state in consecutive years.
“It’s important to us to get the best players in the state to stay here, and to get back-to-back No. 1 players in the state. It’s critical.”
Combining the chance of playing for their local school and getting an opportunity to play early will carry a lot of sway with these recruits. 247Sports recently listed four Huskies on its preseason Freshman All-America watch list. This highlights the recruiting angle Fisch gets to pitch to recruits, as they will get the chance to play as true freshmen.
Huskies Depth Chart: A Look At The Expected 2026 Starters, Backups
Eight days from now, 22 players will become official offensive or defensive starters for the Washington Huskies football team.
The Washington football program might release an official depth chart. If there is one, it will likely contain some inaccuracies and be partially incomplete. We’ll see the word “Or” multiple times for a real position battle, but more likely to make the opposition prepare for multiple players at certain spots. Let’s cut through the mystery and figure out who the starters and key backups are for the Huskies this season, and in particular for the Sept. 6 Apple Cup against Washington State.
Big Ten Picks: Can the Huskies Help Conference Overtake SEC in College Football Playoff Field?
What’s the difference between nine and 10 wins?
The simple answer is “one.”
If you’re talking about regular-season wins for a Big Ten team, however, the real answer is:
Everything.
Ten, and you’re almost certainly in the College Football Playoff. Nine means you’re out.
Ten puts a team in the heavyweight division. It’s one extra mile per hour for an airplane to break the sound barrier. It’s not the summit of Mount Everest, but it's The Balcony, a stop way up there that means you’re getting close to reaching the world’s highest mountaintop.
Can the Huskies ascend to The Balcony of the college football world this season, or will they stumble at the base camp?
Freshman Edge Ramzak Fruean Makes More Impressions at Huskies Mock Game
While it’s important to avoid reading too much into the Washington Huskies’ “mock game” on Saturday, true freshman edge Ramzak Fruean once again looked like a future star.
By future, we mean when UW kicks off the season Sept. 6 against Washington State in the Apple Cup. As has been the case for much of fall camp, Fruean once again proved difficult to contain on Saturday. He broke through for, unofficially, 2½ touch sacks against UW’s offense in a scrimmage that served as a dress rehearsal for the season.
After the mock game, head coach Jedd Fisch confirmed Fruean will become Washington’s third true freshman starter, joining defensive lineman Derek Colman-Brusa and left tackle Kodi Greene.
Huskies Receiver Christian Moss’ Long Road Leads to Starting Job at Washington
Christian Moss’ trip to the University of Washington began with the hiring of an attorney.
A common part of one’s journey in modern college football, Moss and his lawyer, Darren Heitner, appealed a decision by the NCAA to deny Moss an extra season of eligibility after he missed all of 2023 with a hand injury. He won, and Huskies receivers coach Kevin Cummings wasted no time convincing the 6-3, 205-pound X receiver to take a trip from Atlanta to Seattle after the injury waiver was granted.
“Literally an hour into me getting it, I got the call from KC and set up a visit, and everything just worked out,” Moss said. “… Coach Fisch has a lot of good people in the building and the vision. They have a really good quarterback coming back, so it just felt like home as soon as I got on campus.”
Top 10 Huskies’ Freshmen Poised to Make Impact in 2026
The Washington Huskies’ football program has a long history of playing true freshmen who impact winning on the field. Bringing in coach Jedd Fisch’s best recruiting class - and the best in school history (No. 12) - the Huskies have quite a few freshmen who project to get significant playing time this year.
Fisch preaches that he wants players playing as soon as they are ready regardless of class, stating, “If we make a commitment to go get a great player in high school, why would we not expect to play that player?”
Developing young players is important, but Fisch believes the best path toward development is live-game reps.
“There is too much to learn. We are such a young team... we have to look at the tape and teach off of it... we have to keep learning,” Fisch said.
In 2024, Decker DeGraaf was thrust into a starting role after multiple injuries to the tight end room. His insertion into the starting lineup paid immediate dividends, as his play resulted in him being named a Freshman All-American.
The following year, Texas native John Mills won the starting left guard job over a sophomore blue-chip prospect in Paki Finau. Choosing the freshman again proved to be the right call, as Mills earned Freshman All-American honors as well.
Will the Huskies have a third straight Freshman All-American? Who else might start in their first year?
Huskies Ranked 17th in Preseason AP Top 25 Poll
The Washington Huskies football team, ranked for only one week during the 2025 season, opened at No. 17 in the Associated Press Preseason poll.
The ranking is consistent with where UW has been placed in other rankings, and two spots above its No. 17 ranking in the Coaches Poll. Phil Steele lists Washington 15th in his annual College Football Preview. Stewart Mandel of The Athletic placed Washington 15th, while On3’s Brett McMurphy tabbed UW 10th.
The Montlake Report: Huskies’ Defense Brings Back Big Weapon Thanks to ‘5-in-5’ Ruling
The Washington Huskies football team brought back Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei after he was granted an additional year under the recently passed ‘5-in-5’ rule, while safety Alex McLaughlin and Ramzak Fruean dominated at Day 4 of UW fall camp.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe breaks down everything he saw and heard at the second padded practice from Huskies' camp, including how Uiagalelei’s return will bolster Washington’s front line and further improve a group that is expected to take a big leap in 2026.
Huskies Camp Day 3: Putting on the Pads, Uiagalelei Returns
Study hall is over, and the real classes have begun.
The Huskies put on the pads for the first time on Sunday, and 2026 University of Washington football school is officially in session.
“Today just felt so good getting the pads on,” second-year offensive lineman John Mills said. “Last time was a spring game, and that was it was kind of a tempo-down practice. But now we're just getting fall camp, getting ready for the season — being able to hit people is always fun.”
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