The Washington Huskies are staring at a travel mess that could reshape their weekend plans.
UW was supposed to head to East Lansing, Mich., for Saturday’s game against Michigan State, but a nationwide flight stoppage has left the team stuck in Seattle for now. The Huskies are scheduled to play the Spartans at 1:15 p.m. PT at Spartan Stadium.
Washington enters the weekend at 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play, sitting one win away from bowl eligibility. With three games left and two of them on the road, this trip was the first chance to get there.
Instead, the Huskies may be forced into a rushed turnaround if the game stays put. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide grounding of flights after a system-wide telecommunication and network router issue affected air traffic control centers. The result was widespread cancellations, delays and closed airports across the country.
Seattle Times reporter Andy Yamashita posted on X that Washington’s football team was still in Seattle as of 1:29 p.m. PT, around the time the team’s flight had been set to leave. Yamashita later reported that the team had returned to campus to “wait out” the delay and look into other travel options.
For now, there has been no word that the Michigan State game will be pushed back. If it isn’t, Washington would be playing on very little rest after a disrupted travel day.
The flight stoppage has also hit other Washington programs. Yamashita reported that the cross country team, which was in Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA West Regionals, remained there as well.
The men’s basketball team, set to face Utah at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, has “also been impacted,” according to a UW spokesperson quoted in Yamashita’s reporting.
Washington’s men’s soccer team is scheduled to play Indiana in the Big Ten championship game at noon PT on Sunday in Bloomington, Ind. Most of that group has already reached Indiana, though a “smaller group’s” connecting flight is delayed.
In Other News...
Washington Faces A Bowl Pressure Test It Cant Afford To Waste
Washington heads to East Lansing with more than just a nonconference road trip on the line. The Huskies are trying to steady themselves in a game that carries real postseason weight, and the matchup with Michigan State gives this one a different feel than a typical early-season test. Staff analysis around the game has centered on how Washington matches up on both sides of the ball, with the offense and defense each carrying their own questions into a setting that can quickly turn uncomfortable for a visiting team.
For Washington, the pressure is tied to the bigger picture as much as the opponent in front of it. The Huskies need a result that keeps their bowl path moving in the right direction, and this is the kind of game that can shape the rest of the season if it goes the wrong way. The predictions around the matchup reflect that uncertainty, with the stakes rising because of what comes after and because this trip may end up saying a lot about how much margin Washington still has left. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Faces Its First Real Test Against Unbeaten Utah
Utah and Washington arrive in Salt Lake City unbeaten, but the tone of the matchup feels different from the warm-up games that came before it. Utah had to work through a halftime deficit to get past Weber State, leaning on a strong second half and a career-high 21 points from Alec Anigbata, while Washington kept rolling with another convincing win as coach Danny Sprinkle continued to stress the Huskies emphasis on long-range shooting.
For Washington, this is the first real chance to see how that perimeter-heavy approach holds up against a team with size, experience and a little more urgency around the margins. The Huskies have looked sharp early, but facing Utah on the road should reveal more about how sustainable that formula is when the shot-making gets tighter and the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Walks Into A Tougher Michigan State Spot Than Expected
Michigan State comes into its matchup with Washington carrying a little more confidence than it had a week ago, after a 15-6 win over Michigan that ended a four-game losing streak in the rivalry. Alessio Milivojevic, Brandon Tullis and Liam Boyd all played key roles in that result, and the Spartans have already shifted their attention to the next challenge on the schedule rather than lingering on the emotions of beating their in-state rival.
For Washington, the assignment is no easier after a 28-25 loss to Penn State, especially with a road trip now bringing Jedd Fischs team into an environment where the Spartans have shown they can make life difficult. Fisch has already pointed to Michigan States strong defense, which means the Huskies are walking into a matchup that looks a lot tougher than it may have seemed before last weekend. [Read more 🡒]