The Apple Cup is sliding even deeper into the summer.
After the UW Huskies and WSU Cougars opened the 2026 season against each other, the rivalry game will return even earlier in 2027 - this time on Saturday, Aug. 28.
The matchup will be played at Pullman’s Martin Stadium, the Cougars’ home field, after originally being set for Sept. 18.
WSU announced Monday that the two schools agreed to move the game.
This year’s Apple Cup came on Sept. 6 and landed on the final Sunday before the NFL season resumed, giving the matchup a national-TV showcase. UW handled business in that one, beating WSU 24-10 at Husky Stadium.
The calendar shift is part of a bigger change for the rivalry. The Apple Cup used to sit on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving when both schools were still in the Pac-12, or one of the conference’s earlier versions. That tradition changed after UW left for the Big Ten in 2024, and the game has since taken on an early-season slot.
The recent results have tilted the Huskies’ way. UW has won the last two meetings, while WSU’s last victory in the series came in 2024 at Seattle’s Lumen Field, the neutral-site home of that year’s game.
The programs are both still grinding through their current seasons. UW sits at 4-3 with five regular-season games left, while WSU is 1-7 with four games remaining in its first season under head coach Kirby Moore and back in the new-look Pac-12.
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