Washington State Football 2026 Schedule: Analysis & Key Games

The Good

The Cougars only leave Washington once in the first five games, and get three of the last five in Pullman. Part of the fun is getting Boise State and San Diego State at home, and Arizona makes an old-school Pac-12 appearance at the end of September.

The Bad

The midsection has a run of three road games in four weeks, including a trip down to San Diego State a week after dealing with Boise State.

Yes, Wazzu does play a slew of Washington-based games early, but at Washington, at Kansas State, and Arizona as three of them isn’t a win.

Best-Case Scenario

The Cougars get through the tough early stretch - beating Washington, of course - and get going right away in the new Pac-12.

It starts out 3-0 with two nice road wins over Utah State and Oregon State before taking down Boise State.

After rolling SDSU for the second year in a row, it rumbles through a winnable final three games for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship.

Worst-Case Scenario

Washington State gets ripped apart by the three Power Four teams in September, and misfires against Fresno State in the Pac-12 opener.

With losses against Boise State and San Diego State, there’s no margin for error to get to a bowl game, but it drops one of its last three games - likely at Texas State.

2026 Washington State Football Schedule

Sept 5 at Washington
Sept 12 at Kansas State
Sept 19 Duquesne
Sept 26 Arizona
Oct 2 or 3 Fresno State
Oct 9 or 10 at Utah State
Oct 17 at Oregon State
Oct 24 Boise State
Oct 31 at San Diego State
Nov 7 OPEN DATE
Nov 14 Colorado State
Nov 21 at Texas State
Nov 28 Oregon State (flex)

Games That Will Decide Washington State’s 2026 Season

1. Fresno State, Oct. 2

Welcome to the Pac-12, newbie. Washington State needs to come up with a rude greeting right away, with three road games coming up in the next four.

2. Boise State, Oct. 24

It’s sort of amazing that these two have only played seven times. It’s almost as amazing as Washington State being 5-2 in the series.

3. at Washington, Sept. 5

The Huskies have the better team this season, but in a season-opening Apple Cup, that doesn’t really matter.