As rivalry games go, the Apple Cup has been about as good as it gets over the last few years.
Last season, Washington State stunned Washington in the final moments of a 24-19 thriller. In 2023, the Huskies got out alive in a 24-21 fight in a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance campaign.
Okay, so the previous nine meetings before 2023 were double-digit blowouts, mostly towards the Washington side, and now it's a big moment in the season for both.
Can the Cougars find the pop this year with John Mateer now at Oklahoma? They get three straight road games after this.
Can the Huskies keep the offense rolling after ripping up Colorado State and UC Davis to start the season? This is big, but hosting Ohio State next week is the big one.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: CBS
Location: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
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@PeteFiutak
Again, John Mateer is the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners now.
This isn't a total redo of the Washington State Cougars from last year, but it's not far off. This year's bunch can throw relatively well, but there's no running game, and the consistency isn't close.
It was able to move the ball without a problem against a bad San Diego State team, but five turnovers contributed to a 59-10 bombing by North Texas.
Washington should be able to dominate on the lines. The pass rush isn't great, but it'll be effective, and there won't be any issue slowing down the run.
Just don't turn the ball over.
That's far easier said than done if the line isn't keeping the Huskies out of the backfield, but so far the quarterbacks are hitting the midrange passes. Jaxon Potter was great against San Diego State, but North Texas was all over him last week, and the mistakes came from there.
And it's the Apple Cup. As squishy as this sounds, the game will mean everything to the Cougars. Washington has Ohio State next week, and after last year, the pressure is all on the Big Ten side of the field.
Get a little positive early momentum in Martin, get the crowd going, and ...
If it seems like the Huskies will always have the ball, it's because they will.
They've been wonderful on third downs over the first two games, which is why they're third in the nation in time of possession. After a few Wazzu scores in the first half, the Husky lines will clamp down and control the game from there.
Washington will run through the tape - last year's loss is still too fresh.
Washington 38, Washington State 17
Line: Washington -19.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
Must See Rating: 2.5
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