Brock: How UW Huskies, WSU Cougars stack up in Apple Cup

For the first time in the rivalry’s 118-year history, the Apple Cup will take place in a season opener.

2026 Apple Cup: UW vs WSU Info – TV, radio, uniforms and more

The No. 17 UW Huskies host the WSU Cougars at 1 p.m. Sunday at Husky Stadium, where the longtime in-state rivals will square off in front of a nationally televised audience on NBC.

Here’s a closer look at the matchup, with analysis from former UW quarterback Brock Huard on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

What to know about UW

The Huskies enter Year 3 of the Jedd Fisch era as potential dark-horse College Football Playoff contenders. Led by talented dual-threat junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr., UW has a balanced roster that includes 11 returning starters from last year’s 9-4 squad. The Huskies also added some impact transfers and several highly touted freshman recruits, including five-star left tackle Kodi Greene and four-star defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa.

What to know about WSU

The Cougars are on their third head coach in as many seasons, with Prosser native and former Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore taking the helm after Jimmy Rogers left to become Iowa State’s head coach. As a result, WSU once again has a lot of new faces. According to The Spokesman-Review’s two-deep roster projection, the Cougars could have 12 transfers starting the Apple Cup – including UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick at quarterback.

Brock’s take

With UW in Year 3 under Fisch and WSU starting anew once again, Huard said this Apple Cup “looks like a mismatch” on paper.

“For Washington and for Demond Williams, this is their first statement to the country that we are going to be a playoff-contending, mature culture, mature team, and it starts with the QB and the rest of the playmakers,” Huard said. “I think the Huskies just kind of impose some of that size, speed, length, and the rest of it.”

That said, WSU’s newness both on the coaching staff and on the field makes the Cougars a bit of a mystery. Fisch said that makes game-planning a bit “tricky.”

As some CFB rivalries take a hit, an earlier Apple Cup is on deck

“They have multiple schemes involved in their staff, so you don’t know exactly how much coach Moore’s doing (and) how much their OC’s doing,” Fisch said. “… So altogether, I think there’s a lot of work to be had to figure things out in that first quarter and then kind of go from there.”

Huard said the Cougs need embrace their underdog status.

“If it’s not going to be (a blowout), it’s going to be because Wazzu plays with nothing to lose and plays very, very aggressive,” Huard said.

Listen to Brock Huard’s full Apple Cup preview at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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