Jedd Fisch isn’t ready to let the Apple Cup drift into history.
With Washington and Washington State preparing for the 114th meeting of their in-state rivalry Sunday at Husky Stadium, the Huskies head coach made it clear Monday that he wants the series to keep going beyond the current contract.
“I don't know much about (the game) not continuing on," Fisch said Monday. "I look at it as - I told our team - I don't know how many other games started in 1900. ...
There is no other rivalry games or games that have gone on for that long that are played. For us, it's very important.
I think it's one in which we want to be able to continue to compete against them. ... But scheduling's gonna be out of our hands here soon.
At some point, we're probably gonna shift and there's gonna be decisions that are made on 'will it continue?' And 'how much longer does it continue for?'
But right now, I know that we got to play them on Sunday and we got to be ready."
The latest edition of the Apple Cup is set for 1 p.m. PT on Sunday in Seattle, extending a series that began Nov.
29, 1900. Washington leads the all-time matchup 77-34-6.
The game has been played every year since 1945, with the lone interruption coming in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the rivalry’s future is not guaranteed. Washington’s move to the Big Ten turned the Apple Cup from a Pac-12 conference game into a nonconference matchup, and it also shifted the timing from late in the season to the start of the year.
The current agreement keeps the Huskies and Cougars on a home-and-away rotation between Seattle and Pullman, Wash., through the 2028 season. After that, the path forward is uncertain.
That uncertainty isn’t limited to football. Washington and Washington State won’t meet in men’s basketball regular-season play for the first time since 1917, instead scheduling an exhibition game Oct. 25 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
For now, though, the focus is on Sunday - and on a rivalry that has survived more than a century, even as college sports keep changing around it.
In Other News...
Washington Opens Apple Cup With A Backfield Battle Still Unsettled
The Huskies first depth chart of the season offered one clear hint about how the backfield will look in the opener: second-year running back Quaid Carr is listed at the top. It is a notable nod for Carr, who enters the year alongside more experienced options Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley as Washington starts sorting out how to divide carries.
Jedd Fisch has already made it plain that the job will not belong to just one runner. All three backs are expected to play meaningful snaps as the offense leans toward a rotation, which leaves the Apple Cup opener as the first real look at how that committee will function when the game matters. The starter label is useful, but it does not close the book on how Washington intends to use its depth in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons Big Ten Respect Problem Is Already Fueling Debate
Power rankings can be flimsy this early in a season, but they still matter when they start sketching out where a new Big Ten program fits in the league hierarchy. For Washington, the latest round of conference projections from CBS Sports, ESPN, Cleveland.com and Yahoo Sports offers a useful snapshot of how the Huskies are being viewed as they settle into their new setting and try to build some momentum.
The general range is encouraging enough to suggest respect is coming, even if not everyone is quite ready to place Washington among the league's upper tier. The debate now is less about whether the Huskies belong in the conversation and more about how quickly they can turn that middle-of-the-pack perception into something sturdier as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Apple Cup Front Faces A Huge Test Sooner Than Expected
Washingtons defensive front is walking into the Apple Cup with an unusual amount of youth and a whole lot of responsibility. The Huskies are set to lean on true freshmen up front, a sign that their development has moved faster than expected and that the staff believes theyre ready for a rivalry stage that tends to expose every weakness.
Elinneus Davis, the veteran in the group, has become an important stabilizer for the line, and he has sounded confident about how the younger players fit beside him. The chemistry, the preparation and the fact that both freshmen have forced their way into starting roles all point to a unit that is being trusted sooner than most expected, which makes this matchup one of the more intriguing tests on Washingtons schedule. [Read more 🡒]