The Apple Cup will be easy enough to find today. Washington State and UW kick off at 1 p.m. on NBC, and the game will also stream on Peacock.
For Cougar fans, that fits a broader 2026 TV picture that looks far more manageable than the streaming jungle college football often turns into. Washington State’s schedule is spread across six networks, but most of those outlets are ones plenty of viewers already get through cable, satellite or live-TV streaming services.
USA Network is the main home for WSU this season. It has five Cougar games on the slate, more than any other broadcaster. That’s a good thing for fans, since USA is widely carried by major pay TV providers and a number of live-TV streaming options.
CBS Sports Network also shows up twice, though it’s not as easy to find as some of the bigger national channels. Fans will want to make sure their package includes it.
The Cougars also have one game each on NBC, CBS, TNT and The CW. NBC and CBS are the simplest of the bunch because both are broadcast networks.
TNT is widely available through traditional providers and some streaming-TV services, but not all of them. The CW is generally accessible too, though its availability can vary depending on market and provider because it has local affiliates in many places.
That leaves 11 of Washington State’s 12 games accounted for. The regular-season finale on Nov. 28 is still a flex game, with the opponent, network and kickoff time to be determined. The Pac-12 can adjust that matchup based on what best serves the league, including College Football Playoff considerations.
So while Cougar fans will still need to keep tabs on a few different channels, this is not the kind of all-over-the-map setup that has become so common elsewhere in college football.
If there’s one channel WSU fans should memorize, it’s USA Network. Five games are headed there, and that makes it the busiest stop on the Cougars’ TV tour this season.
In Other News...
Washington State Just Got A Rare College GameDay Honor
College GameDay marked its 500th on-the-road episode during the 2026 season opener with a familiar piece of Washington State history front and center. Host Rece Davis used the milestone broadcast to unveil the College GameDay Hall of Fan, and the first induction went to Ol' Crimson, the Cougars flag that has become one of the show's most recognizable traditions.
For Washington State fans, it was the kind of nod that carries real meaning because Ol' Crimson's run has stretched across more than two decades and well over 300 episodes. The flag has turned up in all sorts of places over the years, and its long journey eventually included a 2018 stop on the Washington State campus, making this latest honor feel like a full-circle moment for a program that has long claimed the flag as its own. [Read more 🡒]
Apple Cup Tradition Just Took A Hit WSU Fans Will Notice
The Apple Cup carried a different feel this year, and Washington State fans noticed it before the second half even got underway. The Cougars band did not take part in the halftime show, breaking a long-standing tradition that has been part of the rivalrys rhythm for years. Washington State officials said the change came down to logistical and experiential concerns, while both schools have been dealing with the practical realities of moving a full band to a road game in an increasingly expensive college sports landscape.
Washington pointed to Big Ten conference rules and cost considerations as part of the explanation, underscoring how much even a classic rivalry has to bend to modern travel and budget constraints. Both schools have acknowledged the financial and operational strain around band travel and placement at games, but the absence of Washington States band was still a noticeable shift for a matchup built on pageantry as much as points. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States Apple Cup Upset Hopes Rest On One Tough Balancing Act
Washington State heads into the Apple Cup needing more than just emotion and rivalry energy to make this thing interesting. The Cougars have to find a way to bother Demond Williams Jr. enough to keep Washington from settling in, and that starts with a defensive front that has to make life difficult across the line of scrimmage. At the same time, WSU cannot let this turn into a one-sided pressure game on its own quarterback, because the Cougars will need enough of a running presence to keep the offense balanced and give Caden Pinnick some room to operate.
Pinnicks assignment is just as tricky in a setting that rarely forgives hesitation. Washingtons defense brings enough strength to make the Cougars work for every clean look, and the atmosphere at Husky Stadium adds another layer for a quarterback still trying to settle in. For WSU, the formula is simple to describe and hard to pull off: create enough disruption on one side, avoid getting overwhelmed on the other, and hope the game stays close long enough for the upset talk to feel real. [Read more 🡒]