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. Fans 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.
Point spreads courtesy of BetMGM. Rankings from the AP Top 25 preseason poll, where Washington is ranked 17th.
Washington State at Washington
Sunday, Sept. 6 (1 p.m., CBS)
The Cougs have made things interesting the last few years. Kalen DeBoer needed to call a trick play to beat WSU on the way to the 2023 national title game. Jedd Fisch lost to the Cougs 24-19, and WSU kept it close last year in Pullman before falling 59-24.
WSU will face a healthy UW defense that should be able to quiet the Cougs. If Washington’s offense is able to find a rhythm early, look out.
Pick: Washington 45, Washington State 16
Utah State at Washington
Sept. 12 (12:30 p.m., BTN)
The Huskies open with two straight Pac-12 opponents. Unless Bobby Wagner has more eligibility and starts at linebacker, it’s hard to imagine a former Mountain West team that hasn’t posted a winning record since 2021 could stun UW. Bronco Mendenhall went 99-42 in 11 seasons at BYU (2005-15), but followed that by going 36-38 at Virginia (2016-21), 5-7 at new Mexico (2024) and 6-7 in his first season at Utah State.
Pick: Washington 38-13
Eastern Washington at Washington
Sept. 19 (4:15 p.m., BTN)
Things have changed a bit since Vernon Adams nearly stunned Chris Petersen’s Huskies in 2014 when quarterback Vernon Adams went nuts with 475 and seven touchdowns. The Eagles were a perennial FCS title contender most years from 2004-2021, but have suffered four straight losing seasons since. I hope the weather’s nice these first three weeks, and real non-conference games are scheduled more often in future seasons.
Pick: Washington 56-7
Washington at Minnesota
Sept. 26
Fourth straight home game for the Huskies. Minnesota can be frisky, but Washington doesn’t lose games against mediocre opponents at home very often.
Pick: Washington 28, Minnesota 10
Washington at No. 14 USC
Oct. 3
The Trojans will be coming off a home game against Oregon. That outcome could impact how much USC shows up for the UW game. Washington has won three straight against USC (2024, 2023, 2019) and two straight at Memorial Stadium (2023, 2015). That differs from the matchup history, which Southern Cal owns with a 52-31-4 record. USC could change my mind in September, but I think this is the game that essentially gets Trojans coach Lincoln Riley fired.
Pick: Washington 32-30 (2 OT)
No. 22 Iowa at Washington
Friday, Oct. 9 (6 p.m., FOX)
I don’t know what the under for the points total will be for this game, but I’d bet that one. Washington’s defense looks to be elite, and Iowa’s offense is, well, Iowa’s offense. Throw in the Friday night factor, and this one may set football back a few years.
Pick: Washington 20, Iowa 9
Washington at Purdue
Friday, Oct. 16 (5 p.m., FOX)
Washington must avoid tripping over time zone lines, as this one is a game the Huskies cannot lose if they want any chance of the CFP. The Friday night factor is also there, but it helps that UW will have played Friday the week before.
Pick: Washington 27, Purdue 16
Washington at Nebraska
Oct. 31
I had a funny feeling about Wisconsin last season, and I have a similar churning in my gut about this game. It’s another time zone game against a team with some physicality.
Pick: Nebraska 20, Washington 19
No. 18 Penn State at Washington
Nov. 7
Spoiler alert: Penn State will come to Husky Stadium with only one loss. They leave with a second one.
Pick: Washington 27, Penn State 20
Washington at Michigan State
Nov. 14
This is another dreaded trip east in mid-November, but this Michigan State team does not have the defensive talent like that of Wisconsin last season.
Pick: Washington 31, Michigan State 20
No. 6 Indiana at Washington
Nov. 21
I believe Washington’s CFP hopes come down to this game. If the Huskies enter this game 9-1, they’ll need to split the final two for a playoff berth. Indiana is going to be good again this year, but Josh Hoover has turned the ball over 42 times (33 interceptions, nine lost fumbles) in 31 starts at TCU. He loses the ball twice, helping the UW all but secure Jedd Fisch’s first trip to the CFP.
Pick: Washington 24, Indiana 23
Washington at No. 2 Oregon
Nov. 28
Ryan Walters' defense gives the Huskies a chance at Autzen Stadium, but the Ducks still have an edge in talent that is enough to beat UW at home. Event at 10-2, Washington will need to keep this one relatively close to stop the CFP committee from getting squirrely.
Pick: Oregon 24, Washington 17
Big Ten Picks
It was an unusually good season for me in 2025: 110-22 straight up and 81-61 against the spread in games involving Big Ten teams through the conference title matchup.
Remember that if things don’t quite fall like that in 2026.
I’ll make picks each week, and will keep track of that record, as well as comparing pre-season UW picks to those I make weekly. Last year, my pre-season straight-up picks were slightly better (11-1 straight up, 8-4 ATS) than the picks made the week of the game (9-3, 8-4).
Massachusetts +29.5 at Rutgers
3 p.m., Thursday, BTN
Yuck.
Pick: Rutgers 37-7
Eastern Illinois -42.5 at Minnesota
5 p.m., Thursday, Peacock
Famous EIU Tony Romo may have picked a bad time to quit drinking.
Pick: Minnesota 42-0
UAB +28.5 at Illinois
6 p.m., Thursday, BTN
That’s quite a slate of Thursday Big Ten games.
Pick: Illinois 42, UAB 13
Indiana State +35.5 at Purdue
6 p.m., Friday, BTN
I like teams that played in Week 0, and the Sycamores should cover the spread.
Pick: Purdue 27, Indiana State 16
Toledo +10 at Michigan State
5 p.m., Friday, FS1
The Spartans open another dismal season with a loss to the Rockets
Pick: Toledo 21, Michigan State 20
Fresno State +22.5 at No. 14 USC
I’m assuming the USC brass will once again “understand the factors that impact”ed Friday’s attendance.
6 p.m., Friday, FOX
Pick: USC 38, Fresno State 14
North Texas +40.5 at No. 6 Indiana
9:00 a.m., Saturday, FOX
The Mean Green will cover a mean spread.
Pick: Indiana 49, North Texas 10
Ohio +23.5 at Nebraska
9 a.m., Saturday, FS1
People will be asking more questions about Matt Rhule after this one
Pick: Nebraska 20, Ohio 17
Ball State +50.5 at No. 1 Ohio State
9:30 a.m., Saturday, BTN
Close your eyes, David Letterman
Pick: Ohio State 56-0
Boise State +24.5 at No. 2 Oregon
12:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
The world has changed since Boise State used to cause trouble in matchups like this.
Pick: Oregon 38-10
Western Michigan +27.5 at Michigan
4:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
Michigan grinds this one out.
Pick: Michigan 28-6
Hampton +45.5 at Maryland
5 p.m., Saturday, BTN
I think it’s nice that Hampton has its very own football team.
Pick: Maryland 52-7
South Dakota State +13.5 at Northwestern
5 p.m., Saturday, BTN
The Jackrabbits crushed Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert’s alma mater, Stetson, 70-7 in an iconic Week 0 matchup. I’m tempted to pick an upset, but the Wildcats will stumble to a win.
Pick: Northwestern 23-10
UCLA -1.5 at Cal
7:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
The Bruins are paying some Calimony after a divorce from the Pac-12, so we have a bona fide football game here with some Pac-12 After Dark nostalgia. We know Tosh Lupoi can recruit, but this is his first game as a head coach.
Pick: UCLA 27, Cal 24
Washington State +23.5 at Washington
1 p.m., Sunday, NBC
This is a tough spot for the Cougs as they try to meld together a mostly overhauled roster against a much more talented team. UW’s lines are too much for WSU, and it’s just a matter of how vanilla Washington keeps things and how long the pedal is to the floor.
Pick: Washington 45, Washington State 16
Wisconsin -20.5 at No. 4 Notre Dame
4:30 p.m., Sunday, NBC
Badgers coach Luke Fickell enters the season on the hot seat, and this won’t help matters.
Pick: Notre Dame 40, Wisconsin 20
