AP Poll: UW Huskies, WSU Cougars will be starting from scratch

Aug 11, 2025, 10:05 AM | Updated: 12:59 pm

Editor, Seattle Sports

When it comes to the Associated Press top 25 college football poll, the UW Huskies and WSU Cougars will be starting for scratch when the 2025 season starts.

Neither Washington nor Washington State received any votes in the preseason AP poll, which was released Monday morning.

Where Huskies and their opponents rank in preseason coaches poll

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns are No. 1 in the poll, marking the fist time in the program’s history it will begin a season ranked in the top spot.

Penn State is No. 2, followed by defending champion Ohio State at No. 3. Those aren’t the only Big Ten rivals of the Huskies in the top 10, either, with the Oregon Ducks checking in at No. 7.

Three more Big Ten schools are in the top 25: Illinois (No. 12), Michigan (No. 14) and Indiana (No. 20). With six teams ranked, the Big Ten is second among all conferences in the poll.

The SEC has the most teams in the rankings with 10.

While it’s not a surprise UW and WSU aren’t ranked, it wouldn’t have been a shock if at least the Huskies had received votes.

After a 6-7 season and trip to the Sun Bowl in 2024, hype is picking up for Washington as it enters head coach Jedd Fisch’s second season at the helm. FOX analyst Joel Klatt told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk last month that the Huskies could “pop” with nine or 10 wins in 2025, while longtime college football insider Phil Steele and Always College Football podcast host Greg McElroy have both given positive outlooks for UW for this season.

As for the Cougars, they’re going into their first season with Jimmy Rogers as head coach, who comes to Pullman along with nearly his entire coaching staff and several transfers from South Dakota State to replace Jake Dickert, who went to Wake Forest last December. It will be the last season for WSU before the revival of the Pac-12 in 2026.

Three schools headed to Pac-12 are suing the Mountain West

Steele is optimistic about what the Cougars can do, as he shared with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy last month.

“I think it’s gonna go better than expected,” Steele said of the 2025 outlook for WSU. “I like the fact that (Rogers) brought in a lot of players with him from South Dakota State. … Those players know the system and know what’s expected.”

WSU opens the season in Pullman at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Idaho. UW will play their first game the same day against Colorado State at Huksy Stadium.

The annual Apple Cup between the Huskies and Cougars will be in Week 4 (Saturday, Sept. 20) in Pullman.